Eyes Wide Shut
by PlayTheGame
Summary: After a sudden divorce, Shane appears to be heartbroken. But things are not always what they seem. When Paul discovers bruises on his good friend Trish, will he have the courage to speak up about his suspicions at the risk of destroying his marriage?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** - So this is a request for **KityKat-1**. Actually it's a combination of requests. A while ago I was asked if I wanted to accept a challenge fic about Shane being married to Trips sister and abusing her etc etc. But the challenge was issued to a few others and I know that there is at least one HHH/Steph version and even a Jericho/Steph version. So I decided to combine **KityKat's** request with the first one and this was born. I hope you like it **KityKat** and that I'm able to do what you have imagined in your head justice. The banner has been added to my profile also.

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Trish Stratus surveyed the scene in front of her. A beautiful reception hall packed with people, said people either bursting out of their suits or wearing their best dress and 'Free Bird' Michael Hayes dancing up a drunken storm in the middle of the dance floor. It was the wedding of one of her good friends, Paul Levesque and the bosses' daughter, Stephanie McMah...well; she should probably be saying Stephanie Levesque now. The pair had done the deed around four hours ago in one of the most genuine and lavish wedding ceremonies she had ever attended. Stephanie was practically glowing and her buddy didn't clean up too badly either. What was she kidding herself, Paul looked good. If he wasn't so head over heels for his brand spanking new wife she would have maybe pursued something with him a few years back. But she could more than settle for being good friends. As soon as she knew he was interested in Stephanie, any potential feelings had quickly disappeared and they had become close friends ever since. She shook her head as Hayes moved on to yet another diva and made a drunken pass only to get rejected once again. He was obviously blitzed out of his head to be acting this way at Vince McMahon's baby girls wedding because nobody in their right sober mind would even dream of it. Somehow she didn't think that everybody was taking full advantage of the open bar tonight. Despite the fact that it was a party, everybody, barring the intoxicated Hayes of course, was on their best behaviour. It didn't hurt to have a few drinks though so here she currently was, sitting on a stool at the bar alone just taking in the room and ignoring the leery stare of the greasy spot faced man across from her.

"It's nice to see somebody taking advantage of all this free booze!"

She turned slightly and found herself staring into the smiling face of the groom himself. A smile of her own graced her pretty features and she happily obliged as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I don't know what you mean. Looks to me like the Free Bird over there is more than drinking for the rest of us."

Paul glanced over his shoulder and chucked as he shook his head. "Tell me about it. When he got up and started singing earlier, Linda was ready for neutering him. I've never seen her so pissed off before!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! It scared the crap out of me and gave me another reason not to screw this up," he joked as he motioned to the bartender for a beer. "God forbid if anything ever happened between me and Steph, I think I might be more afraid of a pissed off Linda than a pissed off Vince."

Trish rolled her eyes at that comment. The chances of him 'screwing things up' were 0%. He loved Stephanie and she loved him. It would take something pretty spectacular to mess that up. She glanced at the beer bottle he was sipping from and a grin instantly crossed her face. "What's this? Is Mr-I-don't-drink-because-I-need-to-look-after-my-awesome-physique-and-be-better-than-everybody actually consuming alcohol? I'm... I'm...well I'm just flabbergasted!"

He laughed out loud at her over the top question and faux shocked expression. It was an inside joke between the two where he constantly gave her shit about her, at times, over abundant wine consumption, telling her that she should be more like him and not drink at all if she wanted to be half as good as 'The Game.' "It's my wedding day," he said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Surely a guy is entitled to have a beer on his wedding day, huh?"

They stared at each other for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "Alright, I'll give you this one but only because it's your wedding day. The only way you get to have another drink is if you have another wedding."

"Another wedding? Jesus. I'm not even married a full day yet and already you have me on my second one! What an awesomely shit friend you are!"

She swatted his arm and stuck out her tongue as she replied. "Jerk."

"Bitch."

"Asshole."

"Keep that up and I'll get my wife over here to kick your ass. I don't think she'll take too kindly to you insulting her new husband like that."

She looked over his arm and scanned the room seeing no sign of the bride anywhere. "I hate to break it to you but I think she has run off on you already."

He just laughed as he swallowed the rest of his beer and set it down on the bar. "Actually she's over there dancing with her brother I believe." He squinted to make out the tall figure on the other side of the room dancing with Stephanie. Quickly turning back in her direction, he reached for her hand and gently pulled her out of the stool. "Speaking of which, will you give me the honour of dancing with the second most beautiful woman in the room tonight?"

"Oh you are such an asshole!" she groaned, rolling her eyes but laughing all the same as she let him lead her out to the middle of the floor, a cheeky grin of his own in place.

As they found a spot, his hand held hers while the other rested on the small of her back. She gripped one shoulder and maintained a safe distance, letting the sound of the music drift her away.

"You're looking way too dreamy on me, Stratus."

She opened her eyes and chuckled at him. "Sorry. I just can't remember the last time I got to dress up and dance like this at a party, even if it's with you of all people."

Paul sulked playfully. "Hey! I'm a great dancer. I haven't even stepped on your toes yet." He chuckled for a moment before he caught sight of his wife over her shoulder. Trish watched as a warm look spread across his face and his eyes lit up. It didn't take a genius to figure out who he had spied over there. She only wished that someday she would find a man who looked at her the way her friend was looking at his wife right now. Deciding that it was high time she got out of the way and let the happy couple spend their time together, she gently tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey, why don't you go dance with your wife and kick start this honeymoon of yours?"A sly smile crossed his face at that remark and she could only roll her eyes at him. Men.

"If you insist!"

"I do. And just so you know...I'm really happy for you, Paul. I guess I'll kind of miss having you around for the next three weeks."

He smiled and pulled her into a hug. "Awwww, are you going to miss me?"

She groaned and slapped his back. "Don't be a jerk!" They pulled away and she put her best exasperated face on. "Now go! Give Stephanie my regards, will you?"

"Of course," he grinned back, moving to step away from her before leaning down and kissing her cheek. "Thanks, Trish." He took her hand and started pulling her towards Stephanie and Shane. "Come on, I'm not just going to ditch you. I'll take Steph and you can have Shano."

The pair came to a stop just behind the McMahon siblings. Noticing his new brother-in-law and Trish Stratus standing behind them, Shane motioned with his head causing his sister to turn around. Stephanie smiled delightedly at her husband, then Trish. While some women might be annoyed by their partners having close female friends, it never really bothered her. She trusted Paul completely and knew Trish well enough to know that she didn't fool around like that. They were just good friends, that was all there was to it.

"I was trying to dance with him but he was too busy making goo goo eyes across the room at you. I figured you may as well take him before he started to hump my leg or something," Trish joked, removing her hand from his and placing in front of Stephanie like he was some filthy infected object.

The bride's amused laughter filled the air as she gladly reached out to take her husband's hand and gently tug him next to her. "I understand completely. Sometimes he needs to be tamed."

"I know. He's like the world's worst quarterback, always making passes but it's never enough to score the touchdown."

"JESUS!" Paul cried out, throwing his hands in the air. "I am standing right fucking here you know!" He looked at Shane in disbelief and then turned to face Trish. "If I had known you were going to start a verbal assault I would have left you over there to fend for yourself."

Trish chuckled and shared a conspiratorial wink with the new Mrs Levesque. "Oh hush. It's not like you've never given anybody flack before."

"That's the thing, Trish, he can give it but he can't take it," Stephanie added, thoroughly enjoying teasing the hell out of her husband right now. He looked wounded!

Paul smirked and wrapped his arm around Stephanie's waist, tugging her closer. "Well that all depends on what exactly it is I'm supposed to be taking."

"Aaaaannnnddddd that's my cue to leave," Shane spoke up noticing the looks on his sister and brother-in-law's faces. He had seen that look before and it usually ended in the two of them disappearing for a period of time while they got up to God knows what. Although he silently thanked Paul for bringing the beautiful Miss Stratus over with him. He would more than happily step in.

The newly married couple barely noticed as Shane and Trish walked away. Paul wrapped his other arm around Stephanie's waist and pulled her flush against him, his head moving to her shoulder which he kissed and nipped while her arms wound around his neck. Brothers and friends were quickly forgotten and thoughts of a more private wedding night celebration began to grow stronger.

A few feet away Trish smiled at Shane as he took up a similar dancing stance to her good old buddy just a few minutes earlier. Every so often her eyes flitted over his shoulder. She couldn't help but glance at Paul and Stephanie, at how they were practically pressed together, how he was holding her so close, every so often feathering her neck and lips with kisses and all the while they gazed at each other with that look on their face, the look of a newlywed. So help her but she felt a pang in her chest. She wasn't exactly jealous but being on the road made it so hard to be in a relationship. She missed the closeness of having a man around. She was the type of girl that needed more than just meaningless sex every now and then. When she looked across the room she saw everything that she wanted but it was so damn hard to find.

"They know how to make you want somebody to be with, huh?"

Shaking her head and coming back to the present, she tried not to be taken aback by his words. "I'm sorry?"

Shane smiled softly and motioned his head backwards towards his sister and brother-in-law. "I said they know how to make you want somebody to be with."

"Oh. Sorry I wasn't paying attention, I..."

"It's alright. Believe me, I know what it's like to have that feeling of longing in your gut," he said sadly, his eyes leaving hers and dropping to the floor.

Trish studied his face. He looked exactly how she felt. It had been a big topic of conversation when the news broke of Shane's divorce almost two years ago, not because of the divorce itself but because the boy wonder had began tearing through the female locker room afterwards. Thankfully she didn't get the luxury of having to turn him down. Shane McMahon or not, she didn't mix business with pleasure and especially not for some fling. But his comment had piqued her interest and she decided to probe a little further. "Speaking from experience I take it?"

His eyes lifted and locked with hers. "Absolutely. Ever since my...divorce I've felt like that every day. Sometimes I don't think I'll ever move past it." Things were silent for a few moments before her soft laughter caused him to frown. "What's so funny?"

"Look at us! We are at your sister and my friend's wedding and all we can talk about is our own crappy love lives!"

"Yeah," he chuckled along with her. "I know for a fact Steph wouldn't appreciate me putting a damper on things like this, even if nobody can hear me apart from you."

A surprisingly comfortable silence enveloped the pair as a new song started up and they danced together. One song stretched to two, then three, then four, each one bringing them physically closer and closer together and before they knew it, she had her arms wrapped around his neck and her body pressed against him suggestively while he held her tight to him. They were locked in a heated stare until a loud chorus of goodbyes and congratulations' rang around the room. Trish glanced to the front to see Paul and Stephanie hand in hand and saying goodbye to their parents. Everybody began to head towards the door to wish the pair a happy life together. Completely taking her off guard, she felt Shane's hand slip into hers and he began to lead her towards the front of the room and out the door. They followed everybody else and managed to push their way through the throng of people to get to the front. Vince was hugging Stephanie tightly and she rolled her eyes over his shoulder as she saw her brother approaching. Almost as quickly as he took it, Shane dropped her hand when he came into view of his family. Trish didn't know whether to feel happy or disappointed. The whole series of events after Paul left her were starting to blur together. Just what exactly had happened?

"Hey Stratus!"

She looked up at the sound of her name being called. She watched as Paul ushered Stephanie into the waiting limousine before he turned and offered her one final cheeky grin. "Try not to miss me too much." With a playful wink he disappeared inside and headed off to start what she was sure to be a great honeymoon. She shook her head and waved along with everybody else until the car was out of sight. And so it was over. She turned around and locked gazes with Shane once again. Or maybe not. He walked towards her with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"So...would you like to go back in for a drink? The bride and groom may have left but there is still a party to be...partied?"

Laughing at his stupid comment, she boldly linked her arm through his and motioned with her hand. "Lead the way."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** - A big thank you to everybody who reviewed this. I'm really happy at the response and hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last.

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"_So, did you hear about all the gossip from Stephanie and Paul's wedding?" a tall blonde asked excitedly as she sat down in the chair and flipped her golden hair over her shoulder._

"_Oh My Gosh, no! What happened?" said the older, more rotund woman in response. She took the hair in her hands and began to brush through it. _

"_Well, Michael Hayes got drunk as hell; apparently Linda McMahon was super pissed at him. Lots of people from the office slept together. I don't know if that's true and I don't care either because I don't know them."_

"_Is that it?"_

"_Oh no, no, no, no, no! Have I got news for you!"_

Trish shook her head as she listened to Jan the makeup stylist and some voice she couldn't make out gossip about the wedding. It was hot news in the backstage alleys of the WWE locker room. For the past few days it had been all anybody was talking about. She had even heard people taking bets on how long it would last, how long Paul would last now that he was 'McMahon's bitch' and how long it would be before he cheated or Vince found out he didn't really love her. She rolled her eyes. All this from grown damn men. You would think they had nothing better to do than make a soap opera out of other people's lives. She was just about to exit from the screen she was getting changed behind when the next few sentences nearly blew her away in shock.

"_Well what is it?" the smaller woman asked anxiously._

"_The biggest news, apart from our duo actually tying the knot of course, is that Trish Stratus and the boy wonder danced all night. Then he took her back to his room and they did you know what."_

"_NO!"_

"_Oh yes! It seems like Shane isn't quite through with screwing the female locker room. I'm sure Trish was there just waiting to spread her legs," the blonde woman sneered._

Trish's eyes widened with disbelief. Was this girl serious? She was just waiting to spread her legs? Who the fuck did she think she was? She fought with every bit of reserve inside of her not to walk around there and slap that bitch upside the head, whoever she was. As quietly as possible, she moved to the side of the screen and peeked out. STACY FUCKING KIEBLER! What the hell was her problem?

"_You know I've never really liked her," Stacy said, her face screwing up with her apparent disgust. _

_Jan's hands wavered in the golden strands for a brief second. She knew better than to get involved with the Diva's petty squabbles. "And why is that?" she asked cautiously._

"_Why? Because she thinks she's it. Vince loves her, probably because she fucked him too and Paul thinks the sun shines out her ass. I'm pretty sure she has her claws in all the McMahon men, Paul included. Ever since I got here it's been all about Trish fucking Stratus and I'm sick of it. I'm just as pretty and marketable as her, so are Torrie and Dawn. Why don't we ever get pushed like that, Jan?"_

"_I...I don't know," she answered, slightly taken aback by the fierceness of the other woman's words. She sure as hell wasn't expecting that little outburst and she didn't' agree with it at all. She liked Trish and didn't believe a word Stacy was saying right now. Her better judgment told her to keep that little piece of information to herself. _

"_Yeah well me neither. But at least now everybody will know the real reason why she is where she is. It's because she's doing exactly the same thing as her best buddy and screwing her way to the top."_

Good God! If word spread that she had slept with Shane she would be ruined. She had worked damn hard to earn the respect of the boys not to mention Vince himself who only saw her as eye candy when she first arrived here. She'd be damned if she was going to let this bitch ruin that. Angrily yanking her sweater down and over her head, she grabbed her bag and promptly stepped out from behind the screen. She delighted when Stacy's eyes grew wide and walked to stand in front of her. "It's nice to know what you really think, Stacy. And here I was thinking that we were friends. For your information, I didn't do anything with Shane McMahon other than dance, nor have I ever slept with any McMahon, 'Paul included,' she mimicked. Stacy's face dropped to an ugly snarl but Trish didn't give a crap. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread your bullshit rumours." After a tension filled stare down she turned to leave before just having to get one more thing out. "Oh, and by the way, you don't get pushed like me because you couldn't wrestle your way out of a paper bag, bitch!"

And with that she was out the door and storming down the hall like a woman on a mission. Somehow she ended up in the parking lot and automatically headed for her rental. Once inside, the confrontation got the better of her and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Damn her. She wasn't going to cry over that bitch. Now she understood fully what Paul meant when he spoke to her about his worries of dating Stephanie a few years back. All it took was one jealous person to spew some crap like Stacy was doing and her career would be tarnished. She wasn't stupid. She knew what some people thought about Paul and his situation. Unfortunately they were too blind to see how much he and Stephanie truly loved each other. It took her all of 1 second to realize that she shouldn't even waste her time pursuing him. He was head over heels in love with Stephanie and she didn't see anything changing that.

"Dammit!" she sighed heavily, her hand thumping against the steering wheel in frustration. She felt alone. The person she would usually talk and bitch to was on his honeymoon and she didn't want to bother him with this crap. He deserved the break. She wondered when Amy would arrive. Then again she would probably be with Matt all day. Another heavy sigh escaped and filled the silent car. At least her anger had dissipated a little. Now what was she going to do? Sit here in her car for a couple of hours until more people started to arrive? A sudden tap on the window almost made her jump out of her skin. She grasped at her chest while rolling down the window to reveal Shane McMahon. Crap. If Stacy was going to spread her bullshit she really didn't want to be around him right now. It wouldn't look good.

"Hey!"

"Oh, hey Shane."

"You heading inside?"

"Ummm, actually no, I'm not," she lied, biting her lip nervously. She didn't want to lie to him but she had to.

Shane frowned in confusion. "You're not? What are you doing out here then?"

"I'm just...I'm just...I need to go back to the hotel real quick. I forgot something." She smiled sheepishly and started the car.

"Oh well, I guess I'll see you when you get back then," he said dejectedly. She was acting strange that was for sure.

She did her best to ignore the disappointment in his eyes. "Yeah. See ya!" Rolling up the window, she pulled out of the lot and onto the street. Now she had to drive around the block a few times before going back in. God, why did she let Stacy get to her so much? And why did she have a sneaking suspicion that Shane was a little interested in her? This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N** - Once again thanks to all of you for reviewing the last two chapters. I love reading your comments lol. And sorry for taking forever to update. My motivation seems to go as quickly as it comes these days. I hope you like this installment...

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Trish sighed as she tugged at her kneepad. It kept falling down and it was seriously starting to piss her the hell off. God, she didn't know what was wrong with her today. Everything just seemed to annoy her. She was putting it down to the past week. Ever since her run in with Stacy everything had gone from bad to worse. First of all, her rental had broken down after the show and so she ended up having to ride with a bunch of youngsters who found toilet humor the best thing since sliced bread for the majority of the four hour drive. Then at the next show she had managed to tweak her knee because Ivory missed her stupid fucking spot and to top it all off, Vince had proudly announced that Trish and Lita would from a coalition to take on Torrie Wilson and yes, Stacy Kiebler. The angry scowl that had been permanently etched on her face returned and she scrunched her nose up.

"Breathe, Trish, just breath," she whispered to herself. It was Raw again tonight, the start of their angle. She only wished that the novelty would wear away and Vince would change his mind. She would much rather be in there getting beat to death by Amy than be anywhere near that bitch.

"There you are!"

She turned to find Amy walking into the dressing room.

"I've been looking for you all over! You ready for tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," she drawled unenthusiastically. Sometimes she really hated this damn business.

Amy looked at her friend curiously. The blonde woman had been in a piss poor mood all week and she had no idea why. Or maybe she did. It wasn't a coincidence that the very week Paul got married and was on his honeymoon was the exact same week that Trish was down in the dumps. Maybe Matt was right when he told her that Trish had a thing for Paul. Taking a cautious breath, the red head plopped herself down on the sofa and smiled. "Are you, OK? You've been acting a bit…..weird since last week."

Trish groaned. What the hell was with everybody asking her if she was OK? It wasn't as if she was usually a ray of sunshine and therefore everybody noticed if she was having an off day. Jeez. She tried not to stomp towards the sofa before taking a seat herself. "I'm fine. This week has just been, well it's been bad. But it's over now and I'm ready to move on."

"What's been so bad about it?" Amy fished. So help her but she wanted to know.

"It's just been one shitty deal after another. But nothing bad has happened to me for a whole day now so I'm regaining hope," the blonde half joked. When her friend didn't laugh at her remark she looked over at her and finally saw the curious expression on her face. "What?"

"Oh nothing," Amy lied, quickly looking away.

Trish frowned and gently grabbed the other woman's arm. "WHAT?"

Amy sighed as she turned in her seat. "Alright, alright. Well, it's just that Matt thinks that…..you have a little bit of a thing for Paul and I was just wondering if…your bad mood is because of…..well because he got married?"

There was about a minute of silence as Trish tried to take in what her friend had just said. She couldn't believe her ears. If she wasn't sleeping with Shane she was sleeping with Paul! God dammit what the hell was wrong with everybody! "NO!" she blurted out suddenly causing Amy to jump at the high pitch of her tone. "I DO NOT have a thing for Paul," she fumed. "Just because we are friends why does everybody go assuming this? Seriously?" She was on a roll now as she got to her feet and began to pace. Amy just let her go. "My week has been so shitty because Stacy fucking Kiebler tried to spread rumors that I slept with Shane McMahon of all people at the wedding reception. Then my rental was screwed up and I had to ride with a bunch of immature teenagers and then Vince enlightens me that my next program is with who? STACY KIEBLER!"

"Alright calm down woman! Jesus!" Amy sighed, quickly getting to her feet and rubbing her friend's tense shoulder. "Sit down will you? You're gonna wear a hole in the damn carpet."

Trish did as she was told and sat down all the while taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. They both sat for a moment or two until Amy spoke up. "I'm sorry OK? I shouldn't have asked that. It's just Matt; he's getting inside my head. And everybody doesn't assume that, you know. Just the stupid ones," she smiled meekly.

"No, I'm sorry," Trish mumbled. "I didn't mean to freak out it's just, well, I really did have a shitty week. I'm just glad it's over."

"Well good. Now, do you want to run over the script for tonight?"

"I think I'm good. But just make sure I don't rip her head off out there OK?"

Amy laughed and patted her knee before getting to her feet. "OK. I'll take Stacy, you take Torrie, sound good?"

"Perfect."

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Thankfully their segment went down without any outside drama. Stacy and Torrie had issued the challenge, she had accepted, they beat her down until Lita came for the save. She thought it went pretty well and the fan response was great too. A slow smile crossed her face as she rubbed her wet hair between the towel. At least things were staring to pick up. Deciding to just finish up when she got back to the hotel, she pulled her golden strands into a loose ponytail and headed out of the diva locker room to the general area backstage. A small group of wrestlers were huddled around the monitor and she came to stand behind them, trying her best to sneak a peek through the toned and buff muscles blocking her view.

"Can you believe this? Even when he's not here he's taking up fucking TV time. What a joke."

Her eyes widened at the outburst. What the hell was everybody so angry about?

"You know how it goes man. When you're banging a McMahon you get all the TV time you want."

With that remark she felt her blood start to boil. She finally managed to see through to the small monitor and was surprised to see Triple H sneering back.

"_And I may not be there tonight, Goldberg, hell, I may not even be there next week because quite frankly, you aren't worthy of my presence, you aren't worthy of having The Game come out there and address you. But don't worry Bill, because it will happen soon. And when it does, game over._"

The heavy boos of the fans outside in the arena filled the tiny backstage area along with the curses of the men around her. What the hell was Paul doing? She didn't know he had a segment tonight. He was on his honeymoon for Christ sakes! But judging from the promo it was most likely a pre-tape. She really would consider him barking mad if he flew back for the show during his honeymoon. She knew he loved the business but she also knew that he loved Stephanie and she would most likely kill him for even suggesting it.

"Ain't that the fucking truth? And then he's just going to waltz right back into his world title program after getting a vacation while the rest of us have been here working our asses off. It's fucking bullshit."

Her temper was at fever pitch. Were people so jealous that they had to stand here and badmouth a man who worked hard for everything he got but just so happened to fall in love with his boss's daughter? It wasn't fair and it drove her completely nuts when the boys bad mouthed him like they were right now. He didn't deserve it. She decided with her better judgment and quickly walked away and back towards her locker room. She was sure they hadn't noticed her anyways. They were too busy bitching. God damn she was so pissed off. It seemed to bother her more than it bothered him and she couldn't understand why.

"Assholes," she muttered under her breath.

"Who's an asshole?"

She visibly jumped at the intrusion, lifting her head and coming face to face with Shane McMahon.

"Shane! God, you scared the life out of me!" She held her hand over her thumping heart and breathed heavily. "Way to scare a girl there, McMahon!"

"I'm sorry," he chuckled, walking fully into the room and offering a small smile.

"It's OK," she said slowly, her breathing returning to normal. "Next time just knock though."

Shane nodded his head and tried hard not to look her up and down. She was wearing boots, jeans and a t-shirt. Her hair was still wet and she had minimal make-up but she still looked stunning to him. He really hoped that she wasn't busy tonight. "Will do."

"So, what can I do for you, Shane?" she asked, trying not to come across as reluctant. Ever since she had left him high and dry in the parking lot last week she had managed to avoid him all together. Yes, it was terrible but she didn't want to give Stacy any ammunition. If people saw her and Shane together they would probably be more likely to believe any crap she decided to tell them.

"Well, I know you're done for the night so I was wondering if I could escort you back to the hotel. But before I even get to that, who the hell were you calling an asshole?" he laughed causing her to laugh with him.

The tension in the room quickly disappeared. Trish smiled as she reached for her bag and began fiddling with the zipper. "It's nothing. I just overheard some of the guys talking the biggest load of crap and it annoyed me, that's all."

Shane tried not to smile. A somewhat damsel in distress? This could play in his favor. He took a step closer and reached out to touch her arm. "About you?"

"Oh no, not about me. About your brother-in-law," she sighed heavily, completely missing the darkening of his eyes.

What the hell was this thing between her and Paul? Why was she so God damn protective of him? So what if the boys were talking shit about him. Paul knew what he was getting into when he married his sister. Besides, he wouldn't be surprised if some of what they were saying was true. There was no way any wrestler could have married Stephanie and not wanted something out of it. "Oh," he mumbled before putting on his best upset face and sighing. "Listen, Paul's a big boy, he can handle himself."

"I know. But it just pisses me off when I hear them talk like that," she huffed. She looked up at him with her big brown eyes. "You know how hard he works, Shane. He doesn't deserve to be talked about like that."

Shane swallowed hard and tried not to groan in frustration. Yes, the sun shined out of Paul's ass so could they please stop talking about him now? He gave her a sad smile before running his hand over her back. "Hey, what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?" His smile faltered when she looked at him funny and stepped out of his reach. "What?"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him? That's all you have to say? He's your brother-in-law, Shane!"

Now he was getting pissed off. So what if he was 'part of the family' now. He didn't give a damn. All he wanted to do was take her to dinner and see if things would progress any further, not get into a stupid argument about his divine and almighty brother-in-law. Taking a deep breath he ran a hand over his face before looking her right in the eye. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just that….I get so pissed off when I hear people talking about him. I've resorted to making bad jokes so I won't get angry," he smiled sheepishly. The smile quickly got bigger when he saw her eyes glance over him in sympathy.

"I know what you mean," she laughed. "Unfortunately I can't do the same so I just end up getting pissed off."

"Listen, why don't you let me bring you back to the hotel? I don't know about you but I'm starving. We can have some dinner in the restaurant, my treat?" he offered, holding his hand towards the door.

Trish contemplated the offer for a second. If she went it would no doubt get out that she had ate dinner with the Boy Wonder and that's not what she wanted. But as she looked into his hopeful eyes she realized that what she did want was to go for dinner with him. He had been nothing but kind and friendly to her since they had started really talking at the reception last week. She felt she owed him that much. With a bright smile she headed towards the door. "Lead the way."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N** - Once again thanks for the reviews guys. I love reading your comments everytime I post a new chapter. This one is a bit short but never fear, Paul is back next time lol.

* * *

Life was good. Oh life was so good for Shane McMahon today. When his father had suggested that he pop into OVW while they were crossing through the state his first reaction had been one of annoyance. Why in the hell he insisted on making him try to learn this side of the business never ceased to confuse the hell out of him. He worked on the corporate side. He was good at the corporate side. Just because Stephanie wanted to throw herself into this end of things didn't mean that he had follow suit. He loved their product, no doubt. But when it came to star potential, booking shows, writing shows and all that stuff he really didn't have a clue. Vince was still giving him shit over his insistence on pushing Test. Ever since then he kept his mouth shut. Even then it didn't work because he was still getting sent on stupid scouting missions like this. But all that were his feelings before he got here. Things quickly changed the second he walked through the door. It had taken all of two seconds for word to spread that Shane McMahon was in the building for an unannounced visit. And it had taken all of five minutes for him to meet various members of the female locker room and get some seriously suggestive glances thrown his way.

* * *

"Ummmmm, Mr. McMahon? Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked softly, her eyelids batting at him flirtatiously as she bowed her head.

"Mr. McMahon is my father. Please, call me Shane and come inside," he replied, fully taken with her already.

She giggled. He smirked. Her eyes stayed locked on his as she walked inside the makeshift office. The clicking sound of the lock wasn't lost on her as he turned around and stood before her.

"So, you want to be a WWE Diva?"

She sucked in a deep breath as his hand ran across the back of her neck. This was really going to happen. She wanted it to and she wanted it badly. She'd do anything to get a call up to the main roster. If this is what it took then she would happily do it. "I'd do anything to make it."

His eyebrow rose as he leaned in and whispered against her ear. "Anything?"

"Anything," was her muffled reply for as soon as the words were out of her mouth his lips had clamped over hers, effectively silencing her as he kissed her hard.

* * *

And so began the wonderful start to his glorious day. She wasn't the last, oh no. He had managed to get with another very willing 'future' diva in his office not to mention the girl who gave him a very pleasant handjob in the restrooms. Yes, this day was going perfectly. So perfect that he had extended his stay and was only just leaving the building now. Truth be told, he wanted nothing more than to get back to New York and get some rest. All this extracurricular activity today had made him rather tired. But it was a good kind of tired. Ever since his sister's wedding reception over two weeks ago he had one thing and one thing only on his mind. Trish. He was stuck on her and every time they had a moment together he felt his desire grow stronger and it was starting to get on his nerves. He thought that taking her for dinner last Monday would have done the trick. Usually getting wined and dined by Shane McMahon produced results. But not this time. She was different and would most certainly turn out to be a challenge. Somehow he didn't think he was going to get anywhere near her unless they were in some sort of a relationship. His face screwed up at the thought. Relationships. He had been divorced two years and the word still left a sour taste in his mouth. He was surprised it had taken him so long to discover that he wasn't exactly relationship material. But he didn't need that getting out. And it wouldn't. Marissa had signed a non-disclosure agreement when they got divorced. Nobody would ever find out the real reason they had split, not even his family. Besides, they never spoke to her now anyways. The last he knew she had moved back to her hometown to be with her parents. Like he gave a crap. She had tested his patience and paid the price. He just wished that Trish didn't do the same. But in the meantime he would settle for days like today, days where he more than got what he wanted while he worked on getting his inevitable night with Trish. He slipped inside the waiting limo outside the small arena and settled back into his chair with a smile on his face. Tomorrow was Monday. Raw was in New York. He was going home and he couldn't wait.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N** - Lol at all the Shane hate! For the record, I like Shane. This is just for fic purposes! And you're all just going to have to wait to find out the reason behind the divorce. And finally, I just have to say that I'm totally blown away by the response to this. Please keep it coming! There's nothing more encouraging than to log on and see that I have around 10 reviews waiting there for me. You guys are awesome ; ) Now all I have to do is go finish the paper I should have been writing instead of doing this, ha!

* * *

"Excuse me, I seem to be lost."

Trish's head snapped up the second she heard his voice. She whipped around and a smile the size of Texas appeared on her face as she practically ran towards him, engulfing him in a great big hug.

"Paul! What are you doing here? When did you get here? Oh My God!"

Paul laughed as they broke their embrace. He smiled at the delighted expression on her face. She almost looked giddy. "It's Monday night, I'm here for Raw. We got back from Hawaii yesterday," he replied simply.

"It's nice to see you're still a smartass," she huffed, playfully bumping his shoulder. It really was so good to see him though. She hadn't actually realized just how much time they spent together on the road until he was gone. She also hadn't realized how much she had missed him until he was standing there in front of her looking well-tanned and well rested. She smiled as she grabbed his hand and led him to the small sofa in the room. "You're looking good, Game, I have to say." And he did. And it wasn't just the tan. He just looked darn happy. She didn't need two guesses to figure out why.

"Why Miss Stratus, are you flirting with me? I just might have to go get my wife to kick your ass," he teased, unable to help himself from grinning like an idiot. Three weeks later and he still got giddy anytime he referred to Stephanie as his wife.

"I'm the Women's Champion you fool! I think I could take her!"

He just laughed and shook his head at the same time. He had missed her while he was gone. She was a good friend. "So, what did I miss? Any news, gossip, anything I should know about?"

"You're worse than a damn woman!"

"What? I'm just curious, that's all," he smirked knowingly causing her to look at him funny.

She had seen that look before. He knew something. "What do you know, Paul? Spill it."

Paul's shoulders shook gently with his laughter and he held his hands up in defeat. He wasn't going to even try to deny it. For whatever damn reason he could never lie to any woman he was close to. It was annoying as hell. "A little birdie told me that you've been seeing a certain McMahon and it sure as hell isn't mine."

Her face curled up in annoyance and she groaned in frustration. How the hell did he know about that when he wasn't even on the radar? "Who told you?"

"So it's true?"

"Well that all depends on what you've heard or who you've heard it from to be specific." Ugh. She really didn't want to do this again.

His head tilted in curiosity. All he knew was that she had spent some time with Shane. Stephanie had mentioned it to him after a quick call to her brother at one point during their honeymoon. From the looks of things it wasn't exactly a positive thing going off her attitude right now. "Steph told me. She spoke to Shane while we were gone, I'm assuming that he told her. Why? What are you so hung up about?"

Trish breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God he hadn't heard from Stacy or somebody else. At least he had received the proper version of events. "Remember at the wedding reception? Shane and I danced together? When you and Steph left we danced some more and I pretty much just spent the rest of the night with him."

"So?"

"Will you let me finish!" At his sheepish half-grin she continued. "All we did was dance together, that's it. Then I'm at Raw the Monday after getting changed behind a screen in the locker room and I overhear Stacy Kiebler pretty much accusing me of being a slut and sleeping with Shane at the reception to Jan! She even started complaining about my spot and that I had probably slept with Vince and you too!"

He started laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all. "What?" he managed to get out between chuckles. "That's fucking ridiculous!"

"I'm glad you find it so funny," she huffed.

When he saw the serious expression on her face he immediately felt bad and stopped laughing. He placed a hand on her knee and gave a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry. But surely you told her to go to hell, right?"

A victorious smile graced her pretty features as she remembered her words that day. Gosh it had been so good, like something out of a movie! "Oh yeah. I told her to go to hell and then I told her she couldn't wrestle her way out of a paper bag if her life depended on it."

"Nice," he grinned along with her, playfully bumping her shoulder. "See, it isn't all that bad. You put one skank in her place and then got in a nice slap the next week on Raw."

"You saw that?" she asked in surprise.

"Of course I did," he nodded. "We may have been on our honeymoon but we were able to sacrifice two hours every Monday night to watch the show."

She could only shake her head in amazement. The two of them really were made for each other. "Speaking of which, how was it?"

His cheeky grin was more than enough of an answer. "The best three weeks of my life."

"It shows. What did you guys get up to or should I even ask?" she joked, then laughed out loud at the Cheshire cat grin on his face.

"Well you can ask but I don't think you'd want to hear all the gory details. Or maybe you do!"

She held up her hand to stop him. "No thanks. The look on your face tells me all I need to know. Just one thing though, did you manage to see any of the island at all?"

"Of course! We saw the bedroom, the living room, the front porch, the back porch, the beach hell even the back seat of the rental!"

"Oh shut up!" she said feigning annoyance as she slapped his arm. She really didn't need to know that. "You really are disgusting! I wonder what Stephanie thinks of you blabbing about her sex life every chance you get."

Paul grinned once again. "And what a sex life it is."

"I'm sure," she sighed with a roll of her eyes.

He leaned closer to her and winked suggestively. "You want to find out?"

They both burst out laughing at his question and the overall theme of their conversation. Eventually the laughter died down and Trish glanced at him sideways. "I have no idea why but I really did miss you while you were gone."

"That would be because I'm the best best friend a girl could ask for, duh!"

"The best best friend?"

"Yep. And hey, I would say I missed you too but I have to be honest, I was more than happy having the best sex ever with my beautiful new wife!"

"Oh fuck off!"

He quickly jumped out of the way of her hand as it swiped at his arm and started laughing all over again. She continued swiping at him until he caught her hand and threw it gently away from him. "Owwww! Will you stop that? Jeez!"

She glared at him and stuck out her tongue. "You deserved it."

"No I didn't and you still haven't finished telling me about Shane."

Her face grew somber and she straightened up in her seat. "There's really not a lot else to tell. I didn't see him for a while after that. We hung out at a few of the shows and then he took me for dinner last week. I've barely seen him since."

Paul nodded and grew serious himself. He looked her in the eye. "Do you like him?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I mean, I'm sick of being alone but I don't want to just jump into something with the first guy who shows an interest. And on top of all that, he's Shane McMahon!"

"There's nothing wrong with dating McMahon's you know," he smiled softly and she smiled back in return for a second until that smile disappeared.

"You and Stephanie are different though. You guys worked together for so long. You had the chance to really get to know each other without there being any consequences because you were together in the storyline. If there's going to be anything with Shane and I then it will all be happening outside of work. We'll have to date without the fallback option that you had." She ran a hand through her blonde strands and sighed in frustration. "I don't even know what I'm saying."

He shuffled a little bit closer and put a supportive arm around her shoulder. "If anybody knows what you're thinking right now it's me, trust me. You need to ask yourself whether it will be worth it in the end. As soon as I realized that I had feelings for Stephanie I felt like I owed it to myself to try. We tried and I fell even further. I know without a doubt that it was all worth it, anything was worth it so long as I'm able to sit here today and call her my wife."

Trish smiled at him wistfully. She was so happy for him but that slight feeling of jealousy always reared its ugly head too. She wanted what he had. She wanted to find that special someone to share her life with. And right now her gut was telling her that Shane McMahon wasn't it. She just didn't feel anything for him at this moment in time. Don't get her wrong, she enjoyed their time together and they had fun but it was nothing compared to the type of fun she had when she was with…Paul? Her wistful smile quickly turned to a confused frown. Since when did she start comparing dates or possible dates to Paul? They weren't even together. He just got married for crying out loud!

Paul noticed the weird look on her face and gently nudged her arm. "Hey. I've lost you here. Come back!"

"Huh? Sorry," she shrugged, breaking her seriously weird thought process. It was starting to freak her out anyways.

"Are you OK?"

She looked into his concerned hazel eyes and sighed deeply. A niggling part way in the back of her brain was screaming and shouting that she didn't need just any man to make her happy, she needed him. But she quickly pushed it away, effectively stopping that train of thought before it went any further. She managed a small smile. "I'm fine. I guess I just need to figure out if he's worth it."

"Yep," he nodded in agreement. "And hey, I won't be offended if you decide no. I like Shane and all but if I have to I'm siding with you."

"Thank you."

"You got it blondie," he smiled, slowly getting to his feet. "Listen, I promised Steph that I'd check in with her at some stage today so….."

"Paul? Are you in here?"

Both of them turned to find Stephanie standing there, her hand on the doorknob as she walked further into the room and smiled.

"Hey! I was just about to go find you!"

Trish watched as his face lit up and he instantly walked to meet her in the center of the room. He leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss on the lips before pulling back and sliding his arm around her waist. Her eyes shifted to the woman in his arms. She too wore the same sun kissed skin as her husband and she couldn't ignore it if she tried; Stephanie was glowing. They both looked so happy and she had to admit, they looked good together, perfect even.

"Why don't I believe you?" Stephanie asked, her eyes narrowing playfully.

"I was, I swear! Ask Trish!"

Stephanie looked to the blonde woman for confirmation.

"He was. After giving me shit for the past twenty minutes or so he finally decided to go find somebody else to annoy," Trish joked.

"Great, now I'm the next victim," Stephanie teased with a roll of her eyes.

Paul smiled down at her and leaned a little closer. "I thought you liked being my victim? In fact you seemed to have no problem at all these past few weeks."

Stephanie looked at Trish and shook her head. "Men. Always thinking they're in control when the exact opposite is going on." She looked back at her husband and chuckled at the confused frown on his face.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You can figure it out over lunch, come on," she laughed as she turned to leave. "Bye Trish!" She called over her shoulder.

"I'll catch you later," Paul winked.

Trish watched as Stephanie took him by the hand and gently tugged him out the door. Just like that they were gone and she was left to her own devices. Things seemed to have turned out more than alright for Paul. Maybe dating a McMahon wasn't so bad. As she walked over to her gym bag and started pulling her attire for that evening out, she questioned whether or not her feelings towards Shane could change. They had really only been out for dinner once. She wasn't even sure it counted as a real date. She sighed heavily and tried to push the whole situation out of her head. She had a match tonight and needed to track down Torrie to run over some things. Right now that was priority number one. Everything else would have to wait.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N** - Sorry for the delay on this one. I had finals etc etc. But hopefully over the summer I can get into a routine lol. Once again thank you all for your awesome reviews, I just love reading them! I hope you enjoy this next installment.

* * *

Trish couldn't help but chuckle as she gulped back another mouthful of wine. Her mind instantly went to her friend, the same friend who was constantly ragging on her for her love of the damn stuff and the same friend who had given her a lot to think about when they had spoken at the arena a few days ago. She hadn't seen him since but his words had hit home. He had risked everything to be with Stephanie and he was so happy, they both were. Maybe she should just give Shane a chance. He was obviously interested in her. He had made it a point to come find her after every show, just to talk as he would say. She'd even turned him down on a dinner offer last night because she was literally too tired to move. But he was anything if persistent. Surely a guy who gave this much effort was worth a chance. She shook her head and swallowed the remnants of the glass. There was just something about him that threw her off and she had no idea what it was. Maybe it was because of the risk factor involved. Yeah, that was probably it. Apart from going a bit crazy and screwing his way through the Divas, Shane had always seemed to be a pretty standup guy and besides, all the madness started when he got divorced a few years back. The poor guy was obviously hurting. Yet he hadn't tried anything with her. She felt a small smile break across her face at that thought. He obviously respected her a lot more than all the others otherwise he would have tried to get in her pants by now. Her head began to spin from her confusing thoughts and from the wine and she slowly turned to get up when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Hey! What a nice surprise!"

She looked up to find the man currently plaguing her thoughts standing right next to her, his eyes shining brightly. She couldn't help but smile back. "Shane! What are you doing here?"

"Well," he started as he took a seat and motioned for the bar tender. "I just finished up some paperwork and figured I'd treat myself to a drink. What are you having?"

"Actually I was just about to head back to my room." She saw his eyes drop and instantly felt bad. "But I guess I could stay for another." She smiled hesitantly and sat back down.

Shane grinned and rubbed her shoulder softly, happy that she decided to stay. "So, what are you having?"

"A white wine, thanks."

"Alright, can we have one white wine and one bourbon on the rocks please?" he called over to the barman before turning his attention back to her. He felt his groin twitch as he took her in. She was breathtaking in her simple blue jeans and red halter top. Her makeup was minimal and her lush blonde hair was flowing over her shoulders. God damn her wanted her bad. He couldn't help himself from leaning a little closer. "So what has you down here then? Nightcap?"

Trish thanked the barman as he placed the wine glass in front of her and then looked back at Shane. "You could say that. I'm feeling a bit sore after my match earlier, thought a glass of wine or two would help out."

He shrugged his shoulders and looked at her apologetically. "Nothing wrong with that. You are ok though, right?" He used the opportunity to once again reach out and touch her, this time his hand coming to rest on her knee for a moment.

"I'm fine. I've had worse," she joked. Being a WWE superstar wasn't easy but she wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.

"You know I really do respect all that you go through for us. The company, my family, well, we wouldn't be anything without you guys. I just hope that you all know that."

She watched as he bowed his head, almost like an embarrassed little boy and felt a small flutter in her chest. To hear him say that he appreciated her hard work felt really good. This wasn't just anybody; this was a McMahon and quite possibly the heir to the WWE throne. She would be lying if she said she wasn't a bit flattered. "Thanks, Shane. That means a lot coming from you."

"No problem." He lifted his head and they held each other's gaze for a few moments before breaking into gentle laughter. Shane took another pull from his glass, looking at her over the rim and swallowed the fiery liquid hard. He set the empty glass down and motioned for the bar tender again. "You mind if I have another one?"

"Not at all," she smiled in response, feeling herself start to relax even more and this time she felt it was more to do with the company than it was the alcohol. If she wasn't mistaken, the boy wonder was looking at her with almost a twinkle in his eye. She could feel the tension building between them and she had to admit, she kind of liked it.

The bartender poured Shane another bourbon and he immediately held it up in front of him. "To you…and all that you sacrifice to make me money!"

She burst out laughing and clinked her still half full glass against his. She glanced at him almost shyly. "To making you money I guess."

Once again they fell into a comfortable silence as they stared at each other over their glasses. Inside he was smiling from ear to ear. He was winning her over, he just knew it. Hopefully it wouldn't be long before he got her in the sack. Quickly getting that thought out of his head before it took over, he coughed and turned a little more in his seat and looked at her intently. "I don't think I've ever asked you why you wanted to be a wrestler. I'm guessing it's a good story."

"Oh I don't know about that," she half laughed humbly. Here he was singing her praises. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go and ruin that by telling him that this wasn't her first choice at all.

"I'd still like to hear it…if you have the time of course."

Trish mulled it over for a few moments. She was tired and really shouldn't have any more to drink. But truth be told, she was enjoying his company and despite her body crying out for sleep, she too turned a little more in her seat and let out a small smile. "Alright then."

* * *

Almost two hours later and the duo were still sat at the bar only this time nursing glasses of water. Shane scoffed at his glass in amusement and frowned. "I can't believe you have me drinking water."

"I do not have you drinking water! I had to stop because I have to wrestle tomorrow. You don't. There's nothing stopping you from drinking."

"Well I can hardly do that and leave you with your glass of water now can I?"

"You could," she grinned as she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "But then I would think you were rude and selfish."

He let out a faux shocked gasp and covered his mouth with his hand before shaking his head. "Well I certainly don't want that. I'd much rather you find me charming and irresistible, so charming and irresistible in fact, that you let me take you out to dinner after Raw next week in Denver."

Trish's eyes dropped to the floor for a brief moment before she glanced up again and looked him in the eye. His expression was soft and expectant. She was just about to open her mouth to reply when she was cut off by the appearance of one Stephanie McMahon. She quickly turned her head and sure enough, Paul was there shaking the rain from his jacket.

"Shane!" Stephanie cried happily as she gave her brother a hug, completely missing the angry look that came across his face at her appearance. "What are you doing down here? It's almost midnight!"

"Well I was just having a drink with Trish here and….." His sentence trailed off when he saw the blonde woman's eyes practically light up at the sight of his brother-in-law. His jaw clenched as they hugged briefly.

Stephanie looked at her brother in confusion. "Shane?"

Shane immediately shook his head and managed to smile at his invasive sister. Why couldn't she just fuck off and take her husband with her? "Sorry, Steph. Yeah, we were just having a drink."

"Shano! How's it going man?" Paul asked as he stepped forward to shake the other man's hand. "Nice to see you have her on the water tonight. She's usually on the hard stuff."

"Oh shut up!" Trish grinned as she punched his arm. She wasn't expecting him and Stephanie to turn up like this although she was happy to see them. "What brings you guys here anyways?"

"Well we were out for dinner, then it started to rain really badly and we decided to wait and see if it eased up a little," Stephanie replied as she took a stool next to Trish.

Paul frowned and dusted over his coat once more. "It didn't and we got fucking soaked running back over here." He turned his attention to the duo in front of him as he took a seat next to his wife and smiled, almost wolfishly. "So, what have you two been up to tonight, then?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and lightly smacked his hand. He could be such a damn gossip sometimes but she had to admit, this wasn't the first time she had seen her brother and Trish together and she was just as interested in finding if something was going on between the pair.

"We were just having a few drinks, that's all," Trish said simply, smirking at Shane as she took another sip of her water.

Paul grinned between them and winked. "A few drinks, eh?"

"Paul, shut up!" Stephanie managed to get out between her giggles. She swiveled around in her seat and stood up. "Would you get me a red wine please, honey? I'll be back in a minute." She pecked him on the lips before turning and making her way to the rest room.

"You guys want anything?" Paul asked.

Shane bit back his response and shook his head with a fake smile. He knew what he wanted and it was for Paul and his sister to fuck the hell off. Things had been going so well before they turned up and he was certain she was about to accept his dinner invitation. Now he'd never find out.

When he received no answer, Paul turned to his friend and grinned at her slyly. "You sure you don't want to join my wife in a glass of red, wino?"

Trish rolled her eyes at him. "I'm fine with my water thank you very much."

"Oh come on, don't lie to me, Trish."

"You're such a God damn asshole!" she laughed as she shook her head. "I don't know how Stephanie puts up with you twenty four seven."

The both of them laughed as he finally placed an order with the bar tender. In no time at all he had Stephanie's wine and a glass of water for himself in his hands. "Just so you know, there's absolutely nothing wrong with drinking water by the way. It's the stuff of champions."

"And you would know?"

"Of course I would know!" he cried indignantly. "I _am_ the World Heavyweight Champion for fuck sake!"

Once again they burst into laughter and Shane inwardly groaned. The second the other man had turned up, Trish had paid him literally no attention at all and he didn't like it one fucking bit. Why was it that anytime they spoke about Paul or were around him she seemed to forget that he existed?

"What's so funny?" Stephanie asked as she rejoined the group and took her seat between Trish and her husband. Paul passed her wine glass and she took a small sip.

"Oh nothing. Paul was just telling us that it's perfectly fine to drink water instead of alcohol," Trish answered, her laughter coming to a gradual stop.

"The only reason he doesn't drink is because he can't handle himself," Stephanie teased.

Paul instantly turned in his seat and looked at her in amusement. "Is that right now?"

"Oh you know it is," Stephanie teased again, biting her lip to hold in her chuckle as he advanced towards her ear.

Trish watched as he mumbled something to her and she immediately started giggling like a school girl. She tried not to stare too much as he buried his head in her neck and turned back to Shane. He was almost glaring and she frowned a little, reaching out to touch his arm. "Hey. You alright?"

"I'm fine. Listen uh, I really enjoyed this but I think I'm going to head back to my room, call it a night."

"Why?" she asked in confusion. She didn't understand why he suddenly wanted to up and leave.

"I'm tired and well," he saw the curious look in her eyes and decided that a change of tactics was in order. He let out a small laugh before his expression turned to one of mock disgust. "I really don't want to sit and watch my baby sister make out with her husband all night long." He motioned with his head to the pair and screwed his face up. "Yuck!"

She turned to see what he was talking about and sure enough, there they were, Stephanie with her hand cupping his cheek as they shared tiny kisses and soft words, their faces pressed close together, both completely oblivious to the outside world. Shane was right, maybe they should go. After all, nobody wanted to be the third wheel. "I guess you're right," she said as she turned back to face him. "I don't even think they will notice if we're gone."

Shane dropped some bills on the counter, making sure to cover her tab as he stood up and pulled on his suit jacket.

"Where are you guys going?"

He looked up to find his sister looking back. He managed a small smile and moved in to quickly kiss her cheek. "We're going to leave you to it and head back. Good night."

"Now you two kids be careful!" Paul playfully admonished and outright laughed when his friend began to blush. He was having way too much fun with all of this.

"If anybody needs to be careful it's you. Get a damn room," Shane muttered under his breath causing Trish to laugh. Obviously she had heard him and they smiled at one another.

"What's that, Shano?"

"I said good night! I'll probably see you at the airport tomorrow. Bye!" He quickly turned on his heel and was glad when Trish followed right behind him. In no time they found themselves in the elevator. "What floor?"

"Sixteen please." She watched as he hit sixteen on the number pad but nothing else. "You're on sixteen too?"

He shook his head and smiled sheepishly. "No. I just wanted to walk you to your room if that's OK?"

She tried not to grin like an idiot and bounced on her heels slightly. "Sure." The doors pinged open and she stepped outside with Shane following right behind her. She stopped at her room and turned to face him. "Well, this is me."

"I guess this is the part where we say goodnight."

Trish gazed into his eyes and felt it all the way to the tips of her toes. He was going to kiss her, she knew it. "Goodnight, Shane," she whispered softly, her eyes instantly shutting when he leaned in close and barely touched his lips to hers. After a moment he pressed a little harder and their lips fused together in a gentle kiss. All too soon he pulled away and she was left reeling. That felt better than she ever imagined it would.

Shane straightened up and smiled softly. "Goodnight, Trish." With a bow of his head he turned on his heel and made his way back to the elevator with a huge grin on his face. It wouldn't be long before she was putty in his hands and they would sleep together. If the small taste of her lips he had just gotten tonight was anything to go by, he was in for a real treat when he finally got the whole thing. It was just a matter of time.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N** - This is more of a filler chapter than anything but I hope to get things moving in this one pretty soon.

* * *

She was just about to leave the room when she felt the faint vibrations in her purse. With a scowl, she reached in and pulled the cell phone out, not bothering to look at the caller ID as she wheeled her suitcase behind her and heard the door click shut. "Hello?"

"Hey! How's it going?"

Trish stalled for a moment as her mind worked over time. "Shane?" she asked in confusion. How in the hell did he get her number?

"Yeah, it's me. I just wanted to call and check that we're still on for tonight?"

"Uhhhhh," feeling a little frazzled, she continued on to the elevator and jabbed at the button. Not that she minded that he had her number; she just didn't remember giving it to him. "Of course we are. I'm actually just leaving the hotel now. I should be in Denver in a couple of hours."

"That's great."

The elevator doors finally pinged open and she stepped inside. "Where are you?"

"Oh, I'm here already. I flew in with my dad early this morning."

"Lucky for some. I have to go get a rental and start driving," she sighed at the thought. The travelling was absolutely the worst part of her job. "Just out of curiosity, how did you get my number? I don't remember giving it to you."

She heard him chuckle down the phone and couldn't help but smile herself. "Now that would be telling."

"Why Mr. McMahon, are you being coy with me?"

"Not at all. I took a little trip to the HR department one day at the office and just happened to come across it."

She debated on what to say for a moment until deciding to just bite the bullet. "Well, I'm kinda happy that you did." She swore she felt him smiling down the line and immediately felt embarrassed. Was she being too forward?

"I'm really looking forward to seeing you tonight, Trish. Drive safely."

"Me too, Shane. Bye."

The smile on her face was a mile wide as she hung up the phone and made her way towards the reception desk to check out. Tonight couldn't come fast enough for her now. The fact that he had gone through the trouble of getting her number just so he could call and talk to her made her feel warm inside. Gone was her cautious feeling about him. Now all she had was excitement and nothing but good vibes. This was going to be a great date, she just knew it.

"What the hell are you so happy about?"

Trish turned to find Amy standing beside her. "Hey Ames, what's up?"

"Don't you, 'hey Ames' me! You're grinning like an idiot here; you tell me what's up!" Amy teased as both women came to a stop in the moderately long check-out line. It was full of other WWE superstars and personnel.

"What? A girl can't be just happy?"

Amy studied her for a second until she recognized the look in her eye. Now was not the place to talk. "Later?" she whispered and smiled when the other woman nodded her head in confirmation. "Who are you riding with to Denver?

Trish frowned and sighed again at the thought. "Nobody. I was just going to rent a car and go solo."

"Well why? You can ride with us!"

"Us?"

"US!" Amy motioned in exasperation even though there was nobody else with her. "Me, Matt and Jeff!"

Feeling stupid, Trish dropped her head and looked up shyly. "Silly me, heh. Ummmm, can you guys fit another in the car? I don't want to impose."

The redhead shook her head and frowned in half annoyance. "Don't be ridiculous, of course we can fit you in. It's settled, you're riding with us. I'll just tell Matt whenever he decides to reappear. He left me to go find Jeff. God knows where the hell they are now." She rolled her eyes in annoyance causing her friend to laugh. They fell into a comfortable silence and Trish started looking around the area absently. Her eyes fell on the group of young guns that came to a stop behind them. John Cena and Randy Orton if she remembered correctly. She remembered Paul telling her that Vince had pegged them both as 'the future.' Her eyes discreetly ran over the duo. Two good looking kids. Who knows where they would end up in a few years time? And speak of the devil, Paul himself stepped off the elevator and was making his way towards the back of the line. Hadn't this damn thing moved any since she had joined it about ten minutes ago? She kept her gaze on him and smiled when he finally noticed and gave a little wave.

"Excuse me boys," Paul said as he cut in front of the two young rookies and came to stand beside Trish and Amy. "Hey!"

"You just going to cut in line like that?"

Paul shrugged his shoulders innocently. "Huh?"

Trish grinned and looked behind him to the two men currently standing there with their jaws hanging open. It wasn't often that the veteran talent not to mention one of the absolute top stars in the company mingled with the fresh meat. "You two just going to let him cut in front of you like that?" She bit in her laugh as they stood there looking clueless.

Paul shushed her and turned to look at the pair himself. "Cena and Orton right?" When they nodded he continued. "Let me give you a bit of advice. Every single word that comes out of this woman's mouth is complete and utter bullshit."

Amy instantly burst out laughing along with Paul while Trish glared at him.

"That is so not true!"

"Who are you gonna listen to, guys? The Women's champ over there," he indicated his head at her with a scoff before pushing out his chest and grinning triumphantly. "Or the World Heavyweight Champion himself, huh?"

Trish just shook her head with a grin. "You're so fucking full of it, Levesque."

With a silly grin on his face Paul once again turned to the youngsters as his face grew a little more serious. "I can move back if you want. But then I'll just be talking over your heads. Trust me, it's a lot easier that I moved up here."

John Cena smiled and held out his hands in surrender. "Hey man, it's no problem at all. Right, Randy?"

"Absolutely," Randy Orton smiled in agreement. The whole situation had amused the hell out of him. Quite frankly, he hadn't expected Triple H of all people to be so….friendly? Even though he had cut in line it was all in good fun and he wasn't being an asshole about it. Maybe all the shit he had heard about the guy was just that, shit.

"Great!" The three men exchanged nods before Paul turned back to the two women beside him and smiled.

"Where's Stephanie?" Trish asked curiously. Usually they were joined at the hip.

Paul shook his head with an amused expression on his face. "God damn Starbucks. I swear the woman can't function without fifty coffees in her system."

Trish chuckled and they all moved forward with the line as somebody moved out of it. "How come you guys didn't fly out on the jet this morning with Vince?"

"How do you know the jet went out this morning?" Paul asked suspiciously. He had only found out about a half hour ago when Steph got off the phone with her dad. Now they had to find new flights. He wouldn't be surprised if she was already on her third coffee while yelling down the phone at some poor airline operator.

Suddenly it clicked in Amy's head and she let out a knowing, "Ohhhhhhh." Trish had been on the phone with Shane, she was sure of it.

"I have my ways," the blonde teased.

Paul narrowed his eyes at her before a huge grin spread across his face. "Hmmmm, it seems like I'm not the only one with an attachment to the McMahon family."

"You think what you want to think but you're not getting anything out of me," she grinned. He was already having way too much fun with this whole situation and she wasn't adding any fuel to the fire. "So, how are you getting to the show then? You going to slum it and drive like the rest of us?"

"Me? Drive? You must be out of your pretty little head," he joked. "I think by the time my wife gets back here with her coffee we'll have a flight out in a couple of hours. Although I wouldn't mind the drive. It's been a while since I '_slummed_' it as you like to say." Suddenly he felt the vibration of his cell phone in his pocket and quickly pulled it out, smiling as he saw her name on the screen. "You have reached Coffee Addicts Anonymous, Paul speaking. How may I help you?"

Trish watched as he suddenly burst into laughter and couldn't help but laugh herself. The man lived to tease people to death. Her with her wine and obviously Stephanie with her coffee.

"Seriously though, did you get your fix for the next couple of hours? I don't want you to fly off the handle. That's great. We're checked out already? How did…..alright…alright, I'll meet you there, babe. Bye." He put the phone back in his pocket and shrugged his shoulders. "Looks like she sorted everything over the phone. Superwoman," he smirked in admiration. She really could do a million things at once. "I guess I'll see you guys in Denver!" He leaned down and pressed a friendly kiss to the blonde woman's cheek. "See you later. Bye Amy!"

"Bye!" They both said in unison, taking another step further in the line as it trudged along.

Amy shook her head almost in awe. "He's just like a God damn kid!"

Trish rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it."

"Seriously though, he's sooooooo…not like what you expect him to be, you know?"

"I know. If more people just gave him a chance then maybe he wouldn't have so much shit spread around about him. Ugh, that pisses me off so much," her pretty face turned to an angry frown.

Amy didn't miss the defensive demeanor that came over her friend and it was interesting to say the least. In fact, the whole exchange was interesting. They were forever joking and kidding around with each other, sometimes even bordering on flirting if she wasn't mistaken. Their relationship was definitely intriguing. And then there was the whole Shane situation which she was determined to find out more about on the long drive to Denver. Just what exactly was her buddy getting herself into here? As the line moved again and it was their turn to check out, she couldn't help but get the tiniest feeling that she might be getting in over her head a little. No matter how many times she tried to deny it, Amy felt positive that she was attracted to Paul. She just had to be. But she felt in the dark about Shane. With a determined sigh she turned and focused her thoughts on the hotel receptionist. The ride was a couple of hours. That was plenty of time to figure this whole thing out.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N** - I really can't thank you guys enough for all your awesome reviews. I honestly love reading them so please keep it up!

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Trish walked with Amy to the women's locker room. After the long drive they had finally made it to Denver.

"Ugh. I can't feel my ass," Amy whined, her hand rubbing her backside in an effort to boost circulation.

The blonde just smiled and shook her head. Her friend was anything but a lady, scratching at her ass in the middle of the hallway! Although she could feel her pain as her own butt was feeling rather numb. "Do you have a rundown of the show tonight at all?" At the shake of the other woman's head she frowned. She was really getting sick of all these last minute rewrites. They entered the locker room and smiled at the various divas already in there.

"Maybe you could ask your buddy, see if he knows anything," Amy suggested slyly. During the drive she had flat out asked if her friend was attracted to Paul. The answer of course had been a resounding NO but she still wasn't buying it and proceeded to tease the other woman endlessly. Amy suspected it was just a little crush, nothing more. Hell she wouldn't be the first woman to find their male friends attractive. They were only human after all. They had also talked about Shane too only the answer was much more different this time. Trish actually admitted that she was in fact attracted to Shane and that they were going on a date after the show tonight. Amy didn't really know what to think of that if she was being honest. Ever since the guy's divorce he had gone a little crazy. She guessed that was to be expected though. Hell it wasn't any worse than what the majority of the guys got up to on the road. But even when he was married, Amy had always got a strange vibe from Shane. She remembered one time she had been called to attend a company function. Shane had been there with his wife Marissa at the time and they seemed to be the loving couple everybody assumed they were and so did she. But that all changed when she overheard the pair arguing at the bar. Marissa had suggested that maybe Shane had had enough to drink to which he replied with, "Shut the fuck up!" She swore her ears almost burned off her head. She then watched as Marissa bowed her head obediently while Shane grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her away from the bar area and inquiring eyes. Ever since then she noticed how hard Shane was and how his smile never quite reached his eyes. Being the dutiful friend, she had told Trish all about this on the car ride here but of course she didn't buy it. Apparently Shane had been the epitome of a gentleman every time they had been together. Knowing that she wasn't going to be able to convince her otherwise, Amy just told her buddy to be careful. She wasn't above teasing her about Paul though. It brought her endless enjoyment to see her get all flustered the way she was right now. The death glare only added to her amusement.

"Will you stop it with that?" Trish muttered through gritted teeth. Although it wasn't a bad idea. Maybe Paul knew because Stephanie knew. "Come to think of it, maybe I will go and ask him." She ignored the other woman's chuckle and dropped her bag on the bench. "Watch my stuff?"

"Sure," Amy called as she walked away. Hopefully she would be able to find out what they were supposed to be doing tonight. It certainly didn't hurt to have friends in high places.

"Off to see her _friend_ is she?"

Amy turned her head to see Stacy Kiebler standing in front of her with a huge snarl on her face. A snarl of her own appeared as she brushed Stacy off. "I don't think that's any of your business."

"Ha!" Stacy chuckled as she motioned around the room, making sure that everybody heard her. "I don't think it's any of Trish's business getting involved with a married man."

Feeling enraged, Amy shot to her feet and stared the taller woman down. "You better watch your mouth, Stacy because you have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. There's nothing going on between them. Paul is with Stephanie, everybody knows that."

Stacy rolled her eyes and flicked her hair. "Do they? Because it sure as hell doesn't stop people from talking."

"Well that's all it is, talk. Trish actually has a date with Shane tonight." As soon as she said it she cringed. Stacy didn't need to know that. Dammit! She had royally fucked up there. The delight in the other woman's eyes only made it worse. Amy was sure she would have a field day with that little tidbit. Fuck!

"Shane McMahon? My, my, Trish does like a powerful man doesn't she?"

Amy clenched her jaw before pointing her finger right in Stacy's face. "Stay the hell out of this, Stacy. I'm warning you." She watched as the blonde just flicked her hair again and walked away with a smile on her face.

* * *

"Paul…...Paul…... Paul stop it!" She could feel his smirk on her skin as his lips moved to the other side of her neck. God damn him! He was distracting the hell out of her and she _really_ needed to get these scripts finished within the hour.

"Why should I stop it? It isn't my fault my wife is fucking sexy as hell and makes me want to have sex with her all the time."

There was a beat before he pulled back and looked her in the eye. Suddenly they both burst out laughing. She lifted her hand to his face and caressed his cheek. "Trust me baby, I feel exactly the same way but I seriously need to get this damn thing finished before my dad gets out of his meetings."

Paul moved away from her and sat back on the sofa with a groan. "Stupid meetings."

She couldn't help but chuckle at his pouting lip. "Did you really think we were going to have a quickie at the arena anyways?"

"Who said it was going to be a quickie," he wiggled his eyebrows making her laugh again.

"Listen, how about you sit there and behave yourself and when I get this done, provided nothing else springs up of course, you can have your dirty way with me," she offered, her hand reaching out to intertwine with his. She watched as he thought about it for a moment before leaning over and capturing her lips in a soft kiss. His mouth lingered and before she knew what she was doing, her hand clutched the back of his head and she kissed him harder, her tongue stealing into his mouth to tangle with his.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and they both quickly broke apart as it slowly opened and Trish hesitantly stuck her head around. "Hey guys!"

"Trish! Hey!" Stephanie had never been more thankful to see the blonde woman in her life. Maybe now she could take her distracting husband away and she could get this damn thing finished. That kiss had her dangerously close to chucking the papers to the floor and climbing on top of him. "Come on in."

Paul narrowed his eyes suspiciously as his wife's jovial tone. He glanced at his friend with a small smile. "Hey Trish."

Trish looked at him strangely. "Hey…...Paul. Is ahh…...is everything alright? I haven't interrupted anything, have I?"

"No," Stephanie shook her head at the exact same time that her husband was nodding his. "Yes."

She looked between them confused. "Maybe I should just go…"

"NO!" Stephanie cried this time, getting to her feet and swatting Paul's hand away. "You see, I was just trying to get this script finished. Why don't you take him for a walk or something?"

"I'm not a fucking dog," Paul muttered as he too got to his feet and dejectedly joined the two women.

Trish just smirked at him before looking to Stephanie. "That's actually why I'm here. I was just wondering if the scripts had been finished yet as I'd like to run over my stuff." She watched as the other woman frowned and hastily added, "If it's ready of course," with a hesitant smile.

Stephanie ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "It's almost ready. It will definitely be done by the time we have the production meeting in an hour or so. You'll get it then although if I finish it before I'll try to get it to you a little earlier."

"Thanks, Stephanie."

"So you're kicking me out, huh?" Paul asked giving his best puppy dog expression.

"I most certainly am!" Stephanie agreed as she began to shoo him towards the door. "Go do something productive for a change."

Paul frowned. "I was about to do something extremely productive but…."

"Save it!"

"We're still on for when you get finished though, right?"

She grinned and pecked him on the lips. "We'll see." She promptly shut the door before he could protest any further and with a smile, sat back on the sofa and got stuck back into those damn scripts.

Outside the door Trish couldn't help but laugh at her friend's sullen expression. "What was that all about?"

Paul glanced at her sideways. "Nevermind. Come on, you've been ordered to take me for a walk."

"Let's walk then!"

* * *

Several hours, her match, promo and a shower later, Trish was waiting in the parking lot for Shane to pick her up. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a black limo pulling in to the right and sure enough, he stepped out of it and looked around. She waved and smiled when she saw his face practically light up. A tingling sensation ran down her spine as he greeted her with a peck on the cheek before helping her inside the limo and off they went. It didn't take very long and before she knew it they were seated in a beautiful Italian restaurant.

"This is just beautiful, Shane," she gushed, her eyes skimming over her surroundings once again. She could definitely get used to this.

"And so are you," Shane smiled at her, tentatively reaching across the table to take her hand. When their fingers entwined together he fought back the shit eating grin that was so desperate to break out and instead bashfully looked down at the table. Things were moving so much better than he was expecting. Maybe tonight they would go back to the hotel and get down to business.

"If you keep saying that I won't be able to fit my head out the door," she joked.

He shrugged his shoulders and continued smiling. "Well it's true. You really are stunning tonight, Trish."

"There you go again!"

"Alright, alright! I'll change the subject. How did things go tonight? How was your match?"

Trish was grateful for the change in topic and gladly launched a rundown of her evening. "Everything went fine. The fans were especially rowdy tonight, don't you think? I mean, they were chanting all sorts of things at me and Paul couldn't stop laughing over this one guy in the front row who was calling him a cheating bastard all night long!"

Shane forced a laugh. Were they really going to talk about Paul again? For fuck sakes he just didn't get it. "Well let's hope that he isn't. A cheating bastard I mean. I don't want to have to kill him along with my dad, you know!"

"While that is a funny image I don't think either of you have to worry. Paul loves your sister with everything in him, Shane. He would never cheat on her." She paused for a second before letting out a wistful sigh. "Remember what you said to me at their wedding? How they know how to make you want somebody to be with?"

Shane nodded, wondering where she was going with this.

"Well, sometimes I look at them and I just…they really are so in love and I want that for myself. I want somebody to love me like that."

There was a long pause as neither of them said anything. Trish worried that maybe she had said too much and she cringed. The last thing she wanted to do was scare him off with talk of love and commitment. This was their first date for crying out loud!

"I know exactly what you mean. I thought I had that with Marissa but….I guess you never know what's around the corner." He left his sentence hanging and bit back a smile when she took the bait and inquired further.

"Can I ask, what exactly happened with your marriage, Shane?"

He let out a heavy sigh. "Where do I start! It's a long story."

Trish gazed into his eyes and squeezed his hand. She found herself genuinely wanting to know. She wanted to know about his past, in fact, she wanted to know everything she could about the man sitting in front of her right now. "I'm not going anywhere," she smiled softly, feeling her chest flutter when he smiled back.

* * *

After a wonderful meal together the pair were now back at the hotel. Shane kept hold of her hand as they walked to the elevator and stepped inside. "This is becoming a bit of a habit," he chuckled. "What floor?"

"Twenty two."

He pressed the button and they stood in a comfortable silence until the door pinged and she led him out. They came to a stop outside her door and she wasted no time in pulling him down for a kiss. It was a lot more forward than their last kiss and she moaned into his mouth when she felt his tongue against hers. Shane fought back the urge to throw her against the door and just ravage her, instead bringing his hand up to cup her cheek and stepping in closer. They kissed deeply until they could no longer breathe and were forced to break apart. Inside his head Shane was _begging_ her to invite him inside. He didn't know how much longer he could wait and especially after a kiss like that. God damn he could feel himself growing harder the longer they stood there.

"Goodnight," Trish said softly, leaning up to give him one last kiss before she disappeared behind the door.

Shane stood there almost in a daze. He saw the little smirk on her face as she pulled away. What the fuck was she doing, playing hard to get? He let out a frustrated groan and began walking back towards the elevators. If she decided to play games he wasn't going to last. She had better invite him into her room sooner rather than later otherwise he'd just go in whether she invited him or not.


	9. Chapter 9

It had been over a week since her date with Shane. They had started talking to each other on the phone every now and then, especially since they had barely any time to meet. Survivor Series was coming up tomorrow and the entire company was awash with promotional activity. Shane himself had an Ambulance match of all things with Kane. She wasn't on the card but as always she'd be there backstage. She had to admit that things between them weren't exactly the same on the phone as they were in person. He was so much more charming face to face. Maybe he just wasn't a phone person? She absently shrugged her shoulders and pulled her suitcase along, listening as it bounced along the ground. As she walked out of the hotel she immediately spotted the huge bus and started walking over to it. The PPV was in Texas along with all their shows for the week. WWE had hired a bus so everybody could travel together. As she flung her case into the storage area she couldn't help but give a silent thank you to whoever made that call. Travelling this way was so much better than driving around alone for how many hours at a time. She nodded at the driver before her eyes turned to scan the interior. A bunch of the guys were sitting at the back and being incredibly rowdy. She spotted the unimpressed glare on Taker's face as he turned around and looked at them and chuckled. Don't piss of the vets was rule number one in this company. Somehow she had a feeling those boys were going to get it sooner or later.

"Trish! Trish! Over here!"

She turned in the direction of the voice and immediately her face turned into a snarl. What the fuck was Stacy Kiebler doing calling her over? Did she actually think they were going to sit together? She'd rather have somebody poke at her eyes with a needle than be stuck on a bus beside that bitch for any period of time. Rolling her eyes, Trish ignored the other woman and walked a little further onto the bus. She spied a block of empty seats near the front on the right and made towards them.

"Are you just going to ignore me or what?"

Trish dropped her handbag onto the seat before whipping her head round in the other woman's direction. "What do you want, Stacy?"

At this point practically everybody's attention was on the two blonde women. Stacy let out a satisfied sigh and stood up a little. She looked from left to right before announcing loudly for everybody to hear, "Oh, I was just wondering how your date went with Shane McMahon the other night? Inquiring minds want to know!"

Trish felt her heart catch in her throat. How did she know that? How the hell did she know that? She suddenly became extremely self-aware, the prying eyes of practically everybody else on the bus now focused on her and no doubt wondering about what Stacy had asked. What the fuck was this bitch's problem? Knowing that she had taken way too long to respond and determined not to let the other woman get any more satisfaction from her little ambush, she blurted out the first thing that came to her. "Oh I bet they would."

"That good, huh?"

At Stacy's words, Trish inwardly cringed and immediately felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. What a shitty comeback. "Just fuck off," she muttered under her breath as she turned to sit down and pretend the whole thing hadn't happened when another voice boomed from the front of the bus.

"Do you ever shut up, Kiebler?"

All eyes now turned to Paul who had climbed onto the bus just in time to see everything transpire. He knew right away that Stacy was being a piece of work and had seen enough. He smiled softly at Trish as he came to a stop beside her seat before shrugging his shoulders and looking back over. "Wait, that is a rather stupid question because we all know it's fucking impossible for you to keep your mouth _closed_, right?"

This time it was Stacy's turn to feel the heat. She swung her head around indignantly, glaring at the chuckles coming from all directions before her eyes narrowed in his direction. Who the fuck did he think he was? Sticking up for his little girlfriend like that. She was sorely tempted to ask why he was hanging around Trish again instead of being with his wife but she'd save that for another day. Her eyes burned a whole right through him as she sat down in a huff and cursed him under her breath.

"Thank you."

Paul turned and was greeted with a big brown pair of grateful eyes staring back as he sat down. He shrugged his shoulders again and smiled. "Was nothing. Bitch deserved to be put in her place although I have to say, that was a rather weak comeback. With all the abuse you hurl at me I was expecting more from you my friend."

She thumped his arm and groaned. "It really was terrible though wasn't it? And everybody saw. Ugh!"

Immediately feeling bad Paul gently squeezed her knee and bumped her shoulder. "It's OK. Everybody knows she was just being a bitch and if they don't then they can fuck off. Who needs people like that anyways, right?"

Trish looked up at him and felt the tiniest of tingles in her chest. He always knew what to say to make her feel better. She placed her hand on top of his and gave him a gentle squeeze back. "Right." She didn't know whether to feel disappointed or relieved when his hand quickly slipped out from under hers and returned to rest between his legs. His smile was soft as he nodded his head a few times. Maybe it was down to the fact that he had just rescued her from the evil clutches of that whore but she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to hug him. The feeling quickly passed though and she lightly shook her head. "So, no limo for you today then?"

He rolled his eyes and sighed. She was forever giving him crap about his travel arrangements since getting married. His wife travelled in style. Who was he to refuse to go along? But it wasn't like he did it all the time. In fact, more often than not he did travel just like everybody else. It was just some times that he was afforded the luxury of going on the jet with Stephanie or getting the use of a private car. He looked at her sideways and frowned. "Are you ever going to let me live this down?"

"Ummmmmm, no."

"Great! I'm just going to keep getting shit from you because I happened to marry a woman who gets all the perks of being the boss's daughter?"

"Absolutely!"

"Oh shut up!"

She immediately started laughing and he let out a few chuckles himself too. "I'm actually here to run over a few things with Shawn wherever the hell he is. What d'ya say to riding with DX?"

"I say I've got two words for ya…..HELL YES!" She watched as he burst into laughter before looking at her in amusement.

"I thought you were going to tell me to suck it for a second there!"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Oh you'd _love_ that wouldn't you?"

Paul smirked and leaned down a little closer, his eyes twinkling flirtatiously. "Abso-fucking-lutely, no matter what you were telling me to suck!" He wiggled his eyebrows and bit back his laugh as her eyes grew wide.

"And what if I asked you to suck…my toe?"

"Your toe? Yuck!"

She watched as his face screwed up and he shook his head. He was absolutely incorrigible sometimes and just an outright flirt.

"Way to ruin a special moment there, Trish. Jeez," he huffed, turning in his seat and jutting out his lower lip.

Trish couldn't help but roll her eyes at him again. "A special moment?"

"Of course! Me…you…..something getting sucked….I had a great image in my head just now until you ruined it!"

"I don't think Stephanie would appreciate that image being in your head."

He grinned and his eyes lit up. "Oh don't worry, she was there too." He took a beat before shaking his head wistfully. "Damn what an incredible thought that is."

"What's an incredible thought?"

Both of them looked up to see Shawn Michaels shuffling into the row in front of them looking slightly confused.

"Hey man! I was just telling Trish about the incredible image I had of me, her and Stephanie in my head. It involved a bed and lots of sucking but had absolutely _nothing_ to do with toes!"

Shawn looked at him like he had just grown an extra head. "What in the hell type of conversation prompted that?"

"Trust me, Shawn, you don't wanna know," Trish could only grumble as she shook her head in amusement and mock annoyance. She pulled the Walkman from her bag and started fiddling with the tangled headphones. "I know you guys need to talk shop so I'm just gonna listen to this."

Shawn smiled at her before turning to Paul and motioning to the seat beside him. "Come round here so I don't have to break my neck straining over this damn chair."

"Alright, alright!"

As the bus filled up and they got closer to being on their way, Shawn and Paul were immediately engrossed in whatever it was they were talking about and Trish felt herself starting to drift off to the relaxing music beating in her ears. Unbeknownst to anybody though, was the fact that the tall blonde woman a few rows back was silently plotting against all of them.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N** - Continuing my recent roll of updates, here's the next one lol. Enjoy guys!

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Shane hobbled down the corridor, his leg thumping in agony. He took a deep breath, stopping for a moment before continuing on. Why in the hell had he agreed to that damn match last week? He was a McMahon for God's sake; he didn't have to prove anything to anybody. But despite that, he did it anyway. A slow smile spread across his face however when he remembered the only good thing to come out of it. Trish had been all over him the second he got to the back. He had laid it on thick, making sure that she knew he was in pain and practically guaranteeing she stay and help him. That's exactly what she did, walking him to his hotel room and even coming inside. He seriously thought he struck lucky when she ordered him right to bed. His face fell at the memory. Nothing happened that night. Well, nothing outside of some seriously heavy making out. Their little relationship had finally progressed to the level of physical contact and he liked it. Kissing her had felt so damn good and he swore it was a miracle that he didn't just throw her on the bed and fuck her right there. A frustrated groan escaped from his parted lips. If they didn't sleep together soon he was going to lose it. When she had pulled away from him and pushed him back onto the bed only to yank the covers up around him and kiss him on the forehead, he almost _had_ lost it. He thought she was getting in with him. But no, she was too worried to go any further in case she hurt him so she kissed him good night and went on her way. That was a week ago. They had talked on the phone a few times but hadn't actually seen each other since. Until now of course. His eyes scanned the backstage halls of the arena as he walked through them, nodding and smiling at the various guys he saw along the way. Spotting Andrew Martin off in the corner, he made his way across then came to a stop. "Martin. Have you seen, Trish?"

"Stratus?"

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes, Trish Stratus. How many other Trish's do we have walking around here, huh?"

"I think she's uhhhh, down in the ring, Shane," Andrew replied, holding back his scoff. Shane could really be a dick when he wanted to be.

Shane didn't even bother giving a reply, instead just brushing past the other man and making his way to the gorilla. Cautiously avoiding his father, he ducked behind a group of techs huddled just in front of the black curtain and then quickly stepped out into the empty arena. A few more techs were working over near the hard camera and two people were in the ring in the middle of some sort of hold. As he walked closer he felt his blood begin to boil. His fists clenched tightly to his sides and he couldn't stop the glare from crossing his face as he watched his God damn brother-in-law flip Trish over his hip and to the mat, dropping down with her and locking her head in a headlock. He seriously wanted to know what the fuck it was with Paul. More and more he was finding that he couldn't stand the guy, not when he seemed to spend every fucking second with Trish. The sound of their laughter interrupted his thoughts and he looked up, watching as Paul got to his feet and extended a hand to his fallen blonde friend on the floor. She gladly accepted and let him pull her up. She beamed at him, truly happy at the fact that he was so willing to help her out before shows and just happy in general to be spending time with him.

"Nice bumping," Paul said with a grin when he caught sight of Shane standing on the outside. His smile grew wider and he motioned for the other man to join them. "Shano! How's it going man? You here to get some ring time too?" he teased knowing full well why he was there.

"I got enough ring time last week thank you very much," Shane said seriously. That was the last time he was doing anything like that for a while, possibly ever.

Paul laughed and took a sip of his water. "I saw your match, man. It wasn't pretty. I don't blame you for having enough," he said genuinely. The match had been tough.

Shane tried not to scowl. What exactly was he getting at? That he couldn't hang because he wasn't one of the boys? Fuck him. He cleared his throat and looked to the reason why he had come down there in the first place. "Hey," he smiled at her and immediately grinned as he saw her expression soften.

"Hey," Trish smiled back at him. They hadn't seen each other in a week and she had to admit, she did get a little flutter in her chest when she saw him just now. He looked good in his dark grey suit.

Paul looked between the pair of them and shook his head, nothing like being the third wheel. "I think I'll go and….do something other than stand here and interrupt you guys," he teased, jumping out of the way of Trish's approaching hand. He stuck out his tongue and gave her a wink as he climbed through the ropes.

"You still up for that submission session we talked about?" she asked hopefully. While she wanted to spend time with Shane, she didn't want Paul to leave. They had been having a pretty fun time in the ring while he taught her and they practiced moves. She looked between the two men and let out a soft sigh.

"Oh sure," Paul nodded. "If we don't get time at one of the house shows then we'll just book the ring next week before Raw. Sound good?"

She nodded her head and gently gave his arm a little squeeze. "Perfect. See you later!"

Shane felt invisible as he just stood there watching them talk to each other. He absolutely fucking hated the look in her eyes as she interacted with him. He hated it and swore that there was more between them than met the eye, at least on her part anyway. His earlier anger from before bubbled to the surface as Paul walked past him, patting him on the shoulder and smirking before he headed on up the ramp and finally left them alone. He didn't know it but he was glaring after the other man, at least for a few moments until the sound of her voice pulled him back. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said how are you feeling," Trish asked, a curious look on her face. If she wasn't mistaken, Shane had been shooting daggers at Paul just now. But when he turned around and beamed in her direction, she quickly shook it off and smiled back.

"I'm fine! Leg's still a little sore but it's going away. How are you? Getting in some practice before the show, huh?" he asked, almost through gritted teeth. He walked closer and offered her his hand as she stepped through the bottom rope and then hopped to the floor.

She leaned back against the ring apron and couldn't help but smile proudly. "Practice makes perfect. The ring was free so I decided to come down and get some time. Your brother-in-law was free too so I asked him to come help. Don't ever tell him but he's a pretty darn good teacher. I owe a lot of my development in the ring to him." That was the truth. Paul had been one of the guys, along with a few others, who had really helped her out over these past few years. It's how they became friends in the first place, a few years back when he had helped train her, Amy and Stephanie during their little feud.

"Don't worry, I won't tell him," Shane faked a laugh. "We don't need his ego getting any bigger than it already is!" Once again they were talking about Saint Paul. He glanced at the floor for a second, took a deep breath and then looked her in the eye, his expression growing gentle. Time to get that fucker off his mind and move on to more important things. He reached out and took her hand into his, softly stroking her knuckles. "I missed you, you know."

Trish ducked her head in an attempt to hide her blushing cheeks. Shane reached for her chin and raised her head as he leaned down and pressed a light kiss on her supple and waiting lips. When he pulled away her big brown eyes were staring at him in slight shock.

"I'm sorry but I just couldn't help myself. Lately all I want to do is kiss you," he said as sincerely as he could manage. Her gaze grew soft and he instantly knew that he had won her over as she sidled closer to him.

"Shane…." she trailed off, not really knowing what to say. But there was one thing she did know and that was the fact that with every day that passed, with every phone call and with every kiss, they were growing closer. They stood in a comfortable silence and locked in each other's gaze for a few moments before breaking into gentle laughter. Trish looked around her and quickly realized that they were standing just in front of the ring in plain sight of everybody. Suddenly feeling terribly self-conscious, she took a step back and put some distance between them and immediately felt terrible at the confused expression that crossed his face. "I'm sorry. It's just that, well, I was hoping to keep things…discreet between us. I don't want our relationship becoming the new hot topic of discussion in the locker room." She was expecting him to maybe feel a little hurt or to at the very least look serious but his smiling face made her frown in confusion. "What?"

"Relationship? You see us in a relationship now?" he asked and delighted in the little smile that crossed her face.

"Well don't you?"

Shane took her hand, gave it a gentle squeeze and then let go again. "I do now. I just wasn't aware you wanted to be this serious. I'm really glad you are." They once again fell into a comfortable silence before he shook his head slightly and motioned up the ramp. "So, you have some free time? Maybe we could go for some lunch?"

"I'd like that," she smiled and they both made for the ramp, Trish, feeling excited and happy at the fact that they had just become even closer than they were before and Shane absolutely loving the fact that they were now in a _relationship_. It was only a matter of time.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N** - I'm pleased to update again so quickly. As you will find out, things take quite a leap forward in this one. The ball has officially started rolling I believe lol. Anyways, thanks to you all for reviewing. Your comments crack me up with all the Shane hate. He really is a total A-Hole in this thing lol. Enjoy guys...

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Stacy sighed in annoyance as she dragged her suitcase along the polished tile floor. The bus had just arrived back at the hotel and one by one the WWE superstars entered the lobby, some heading right for the elevators and some heading to the check in desk. Thankfully she had checked in earlier today because now all she wanted to do was get to her room and relax. As she stepped inside the elevator, her mind ran over the events of the day and she couldn't help but scoff. She wasn't surprised to find out that she was to get her ass kicked by Trish again. It seemed to be a routine at this point and was probably because she had gone screaming to her little boyfriend about it who had then gone screaming to his wife who changed the script. There was no way they were pushing Trish above her because they wanted to. She knew it was all down to the fact that she was fucking one or all three of the McMahon men, including Mr. Stephanie McMahon too. With a face like thunder, she angrily stepped out of the sliding doors and stalked to her room, letting out a sigh of relief upon entering. She had watched them all interacting with each other today and there was no doubt in her mind that Trish and Paul were fucking behind Stephanie's back. Hell, maybe Steph even knew about it. You would have to be blind not to see it.

"Fucking slut," she muttered under her breath while stripping out of her clothes and heading for the shower. It was one thing to fuck a married man, a man married to your boss no less but to then have the nerve to start dating her other boss and start fucking him too? Who the hell did she think she was?

Many hateful thoughts and a shower later, Stacy stood in front of the wide mirror fixing her make up. She was going for a drink. It was the least she needed to calm the hell down. After smoothing her tight blue dress, she quickly made her way back down to the lobby area and to the bar. Much to her delight, she immediately spotted Shane McMahon sitting alone and a plan quikcly formulated in her head. Oh this would be just perfect. She put her long legs to full use and strutted over, instantly catching the barman's attention and ordering a vodka and coke. She innocently looked around her and feigned shock when she saw his already lust filled eyes looking back. "Shane! I didn't see you there!"

"Stacy," Shane nodded, following her every move as she took the glass from the barman's hand. She began to reach into her small clutch purse and he shook his head whilst leaning over to stall her. "No," he said simply, turning to the barman. "Put it on my tab."

"Oh really, you didn't have to…"

"But I wanted to," he smiled widely, pulling out the chair beside him and gently forcing her into it with his hand. Just looking at her in her sleek blue dress and endless legs, well, she most definitely piqued his interest. He held her gaze as he took a long pull of his drink and then smirked, letting his eyes blatantly run over her. "But if you want to repay me, I'm pretty sure I could think of something you can do."

Inside she felt giddy. This is exactly what she wanted. Her eyes sparkled flirtatiously and she ran her tongue around the tip of the black straw poking out of her glass. Let's see how Trish felt when she found out that she had fucked her man. "And what might that be?"

"Room 1032. Fifteen minutes. Why don't you come and find out?"

"I'd love to," she smiled seductively, watching him as he finished his drink, dropped a few notes on the bar and took off. Her eyes dipped to her watch taking note of the time. Fifteen minutes couldn't come quick enough.

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"Mmmmmmmmmmm," Stephanie moaned appreciatively as she felt his hands knead into the tight skin of her neck. "Jesus baby," she hushed, dropping the papers in her hand and forgetting her growing hunger for one second as she lolled her head forward. "Uhhhhh, that feels so good."

Paul chuckled in amusement before dropping a quick kiss in her hair. "You know, if you're going to make noises like that then at least let me get them from you the old fashioned way."

She slightly shook her head and laughed at his comment, her eyes slipping shut as his fingers worked their magic. "You already tried the old fashioned way this morning. Haven't you had enough?" Suddenly she was flipped on to her back and opened her eyes to find his face hovering right over hers, his body pressing her down into the soft mattress.

"I don't think I'll ever have enough of you," he grinned, his hand dropping to run along the outside of her thigh while he went to work on her neck, his soft lips creating all sorts of havoc there.

She gave into him for a few blissful moments, feeling that ever familiar burning in her body as she arched herself to his touch until her stomach grumbled. Paul slowly pulled back and gave her belly a rub. "Awww, do you want some attention?" he teased, turning his focus there. His hands pushed up the material of her tank as he shifted on the bed so that he could run his lips over her smooth skin, knocking her paperwork to the ground in the process. His mouth moved lower, below her naval and she felt his tongue flick out and teasingly push under the band of her pajama bottoms. He wore a devilish expression as he grinned up at her and she couldn't help but grin back until her stomach rumbled again causing them both to laugh. "I guess it really _does_ want some attention! You hungry?"

"I think so," Stephanie agreed, her hand coming to gently stroke the side of his face.

"You want to order room service?"

She shook her head and smiled sweetly. Paul took one look at her big blue eyes and immediately started shaking his head. "What is it?"

"I'm really in the mood for some chips or cookies or something. You think you could run to the vending machine for me?"

Paul sighed and moved off the bed to his feet. "The things I do for you," he said in a sing song voice as he shook his head and started looking for his shirt. He quickly pulled the black material over his head and when it popped out at the top, his eyes were playful. "Chips and cookies, huh?"

"Thank you baby," she nodded her head, moving to her knees on the bed and shuffling over to the edge. She smirked up at him with a flirtatious glint in her eye and reached out to run her hand along the waistband of his navy blue shorts. "I'll make it worth your while when you get back."

"Oh I know you will!" he laughed, giving her a lingering kiss before pulling back and grabbing his wallet off the nightstand. "Be back in a few," he called over his shoulder as he left the room and started down the corridor towards the vending machines. He turned right and almost did a double take as he saw Stacy Kiebler stepping out of one of the rooms. She straightened her dress, fixed her messy hair and then took off leaving him standing there in shock. That couldn't be right. His head shook absently as he walked a little closer and confirmed to himself that she had just come from Shane's room. He knew because they had checked in together earlier today and he had naturally stopped off here before going to his room around the corner. What the hell was Kiebler doing coming from Shane's room at this time of night, not to mention looking incredibly scruffy? He felt his chest drop. There was only one thing they could have been doing and he immediately felt an intense rush of anger ripple throughout his body. What the fuck was Shane doing banging Stacy when he was supposed to be with Trish? He had half a mind to knock his dear brother-in-law's door down and smack him in the face. But he didn't. Instead he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Maybe Shane and Trish weren't exclusive yet? Maybe they weren't even that serious about each other? Well, that was a lie. He knew Trish didn't want to rush things so she obviously felt something for him. And if their interaction down by the ring earlier today had been anything to go by, the boy wonder seemed pretty keen on her. Why then would he go and screw around with Stacy fucking Kiebler of all people? In a confused daze he walked on to the vending machines and picked up the things his wife wanted. With a pack of chips in one hand and his wallet and cookies in the other, he walked back to his room.

Upon hearing the door open, Stephanie looked up from the paper in her hand and smiled as she chucked it on to the nightstand. But her smile quickly faltered when she saw the somewhat angry expression on her husband's face. "Paul?"

Paul snapped back to reality at the sound of her voice. "Chips and cookies," he said with a half-smile, holding the items up in the air. He came to a stop at the foot of the bed and handed them to her before chucking his wallet on the large seat next to the balcony window.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he shrugged his shoulders knowing she wouldn't buy it.

Stephanie dropped the food to the bed and got to her feet. She ran her hands along his toned arms and looked into his eyes. "Paul?"

He sighed and shook his head absently. "I just saw Stacy Kiebler coming out of Shane's room."

There was a moment of silence before he drew his gaze from the large window and looked at her. "I hardly think they were talking business at this time of night."

Stephanie fell silent, not really sure what to say. After her brother's divorce he had gone a bit mad when it came to women, especially the Divas until their father told him to pretty much keep it in his pants when it came to the talent. She got the impression that this thing with Trish was more than a random fling to him yet here he was, just having spent the night with Stacy Kiebler. Whatever he was up to though, it wasn't really any of her business. "Well, that's nothing to do us. Although I don't condone him sleeping with the Divas, we're all grownups here. He can do what he wants."

Paul felt another rush of anger at his wife's words. He can do what he wants? He was supposed to be with Trish. "But what about Trish?" he blurted out, not thinking and completely missing the surprised look that cross his wife's face. "This isn't fair to her."

"Trish is a big girl, Paul. I'm sure she can handle herself," she said slowly, unsure what to think about her husband's defense of his friend. He was no stranger to the dating game or the world of sexual politics.

"That's not the point, Steph. He shouldn't be fooling around on her like that."

Another moment of silence encompassed them although this one was rather awkward. They both stood there not saying anything until Stephanie reached for his neck and tugged him into her. "Hey, let's not get worried over things that aren't our business," she said, finally breaking the tension in the room. "Let's go to bed," she hushed, her hands dropping from his neck to entwine their fingers as she pulled him towards the large bed.

"I thought you were hungry?" he asked, happy that she changed the subject. He watched as she took his hand and ran it over her chest while lifting the other to her mouth and sucking his finger inside. He let out a heavy groan and felt his groin stir.

"I am hungry. For you."

That was all the encouragement he needed. He gently nudged her onto the bed and fell on top of her, completely losing himself in her touch and pushing his worries about his friend to the back of his mind. Trish could wait. Right now he was solely focused on pleasing his wife.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N** - It took me a week but I finally got this finished lol. I hope you guys like it and I look forward to reading your comments as always!

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Stephanie smiled happily as she popped a grape into her husband's mouth. His eyes locked on to hers as he munched on the purple fruit and she felt her stomach tingle. The sensation intensified as images of the night before flooded into her head. This time her smile was almost wicked and she let out a small laugh as he grinned at her cheekily. She had no doubt that he knew exactly what she had been thinking about. She took a long sip of her orange juice and was just about to quiz him on the subject when she spotted her brother walking into the restaurant. Her hand quickly shot up and she called his name, completely unaware as to what she had just done. The look on her husband's face quickly reminded her though.

"Hey guys," Shane said with a huge grin on his face and after last night he had every reason to be happy. Stacy and those endless legs of hers, well, she knew how to please a man. Even spending breakfast with his Saintly brother-in-law and his sister wasn't going to be enough to knock him out of his mood. He sat down next to Stephanie and smiled in her direction. "You don't mind if I join you?"

"Not at all!" Stephanie cried, her eyes silently shooting her husband a dirty look when he didn't say anything. She was half tempted to kick him under the table if he didn't wipe that disgusted look off his face. "Right, Paul?" she asked for good measure and couldn't stop the half snarl that crossed her face at his stoic answer.

"Right," Paul said simply. He couldn't help it but as soon as he saw Shane walk in the door he felt a huge rush of anger. What made it worse was the shit eating grin on brother dearest's face. He wanted to smack it right off him.

Shane observed the weird interaction between the two and inwardly smiled. He didn't know why but for whatever reason the golden couple seemed to be fighting if he wasn't mistaken. He quickly gave his order to the waiter who magically appeared at the side of the table before settling back into his chair. He looked between them and confirmed his suspicions. Stephanie was practically glaring while Paul refused to even look at her. He watched as his sister scoffed and then turned to him. He smiled at her. "So, are you heading on home for the week Steph or are you sticking around for the house shows and stuff?"

"I'm sticking around for the house shows," she replied before quickly adding. "At least I think I am."

Paul's head snapped around and now it was his turn to glare. He stared at her for a minute before lightly shaking his head and getting up from the table. He couldn't believe she wasn't going to come on the road with him and all because her stupid fucking brother couldn't keep his dick in his pants. "You'll have to excuse me. I think I lost my appetite," he said curtly, giving his wife one last lingering look of anger before walking away and heading back to his room.

The two McMahon siblings sat at the table in silence for a few seconds until Shane spoke up. "Now what the hell was that all about?" he asked with a grin, unable to hide the twinkle in his eye at the fact that Paul wasn't holier than thou after all. It truly warmed his heart to see somebody mad at him for a change. "Trouble in paradise, huh baby sis?" he added with a chuckle.

"You could try not to sound so amused, Shane," Stephanie huffed, her eyes shooting him a dirty look. Truth be told, she still wasn't quite sure what had just happened but she didn't like it at all. Reaching for her bag, she pulled some bills from her purse and set them on the table. "I'm sorry but you're eating on your own."

"What? Why?"

"Why?" Stephanie asked. Was he serious? "Because my husband just walked out on me that's why," she fumed. She gave him one last look before mumbling an apology over her shoulder and stalking off.

Shane sat for a moment in a stunned silence before bursting into a small fit of laughter. Oh this was just too good. He snatched a few of the grapes from Paul's plate and popped them into his mouth. It seemed like his dear old brother-in-law really was in the doghouse. "That's just too bad," he muttered to himself, smiling when the waiter appeared with his eggs and his smile only grew bigger when he spotted a familiar head of blonde hair walk into the restaurant. He didn't even have to call out for she spotted him right away and immediately started walking in his direction. "Trish!" he stood when she reached the table and pressed a lingering kiss to her waiting lips.

"Hey," Trish smiled absently as they both sat down. She was happy to see him but something had her worried. "You know, I just bumped into Stephanie as I was coming out of the elevator and she looked angry as hell. She told me you were in here before just walking away. Did something happen?"

"Oh don't mind her," Shane reasoned, reaching across the table to take her hand. "Marital spat is all," he said with a grin. The whole thing amused the hell out of him.

Trish's eyes widened in shock. "Marital spat? Paul and Stephanie? I don't believe it," she cried, her free hand covering her mouth. In all her time knowing them she couldn't ever remember them fighting and especially not to the degree that they seemed to be right now. She didn't think she had ever seen Stephanie so mad, not even when the world was falling down around her at TV.

Shane waved his hand in the air, already sick of talking about it. "It was just a fight, I'm sure they'll get over it. Every married couple fights. They're just making a big deal over it because it's probably their first one or something. I don't know," he said dismissively.

"I guess you're right," Trish replied after a moment or two. Deciding not to let the issue bug her any longer, she let her eyes run over Shane one more time and a small smile appeared on her face. She gave his hand a squeeze and sighed. "I called you last night but you didn't answer your phone."

He partially choked on his water for a moment before clearing his throat. "Oh…uhhhh….I went to bed early. Was out like a light, didn't hear a thing," he covered quickly and smiled when he saw no hint of curiosity or suspicion on her face. "Although I'm hoping that won't be the case this weekend."

"And why's that?" she smiled, her head tilting flirtatiously.

"Well," he grinned, taking both her hands in his. "I was hoping that we could do something together. We're hitting the East coast if I remember correctly. I'll have to check the sheets but I think we'll be close to New York. Maybe you could back to my place and we could do something?"

Trish chuckled at his thinly veiled invitation. She didn't know if they were quite ready for visiting each other's apartments yet. Then again, this thing between them had being going on for a month or so now. Maybe it was time to take the next step? "I don't know, I might be busy," she teased anyway, enjoying the frown that appeared on his face.

"Too busy for me?"

"I think I might be able to squeeze you in somewhere," she joked, delighting in the big smile that replaced his frown. If only she knew what that smile was for.

"That's great! I guess we can sort out the details later in the week," he said, passing on the obvious innuendo. Oh she'd squeeze him in alright. He was sure that this would be it. He'd finally get her in the sack and all would be well again. He just hoped that she liked to get nasty the way Stacy did last night. With that thought he felt his groin stir and instantly tried to think of something else. He couldn't have that or he'd end up dragging her up to his room and fucking her before checking out. No. He had to maintain control until the weekend. Then he could let loose and revel in the moment he had been waiting for.

* * *

Stephanie took a deep breath before swiping the room card and gently pushing the door open. She walked inside to find her husband standing over his suitcase on the edge of the bed. He was fumbling with the shirt in his hand and looking through the open case. Suddenly he stopped moving and when he turned around to face her she felt her anger momentarily subside at the look on his face.

"So you're not coming on the road this week then?" Paul asked, giving her one last look before turning away and looking back to his case. "Your brother decides to sleep around and all of a sudden I'm the bad guy?" he said almost to himself.

With that remark her anger flared up again and she marched towards him. What the fuck was his problem anyway? What her brother did was none of their business. "You're the bad guy because you're completely overreacting to this."

"Overreacting?" he asked, spinning on his heel and looking her right in the eye.

"Yes, overreacting. Look at you, Paul. You storm away from breakfast when he shows up, you…"

"No, no. I didn't 'storm away from breakfast' because he showed up. I stormed away because you expected me to be all nicey nicey with him when he's acting like a fucking whore!" Paul fumed, outraged at how passive she was being.

Her eyes burned into his as they stood face to face. "I can't believe we are fighting over this. It's none of our business what Shane does. What does it matter?"

"It matters to me!" he said with conviction. "Trish is a good friend of mine and I don't want to see her get played like that, just like Shane wouldn't want to see you get screwed around on. She's practically like a little sister to me, Steph. You think I'm just going to take it on the chin because Shane can't keep it in his pants?" He held her gaze for a few intense moments before his gaze softened and he took a step forward. "I don't want to fight with you, baby but I'm not going to pretend that I'm alright with what he's doing either." His voice was gentle, his head slightly ducked down.

"Paul…." She trailed off, not quite sure what to say. She knew he was friends with Trish but Shane was family now. Didn't that count for something? The feel of his big hand enclosing over hers broke her thoughts and she raised her head to look into his eyes.

"I know it's awkward and I'll…..I'll try not to let it bother me so much but I'm not making any promises. If he does it again I'm pulling him aside, Steph."

"Pulling him aside for what?"

Paul avoided rolling his eyes and let out a small sigh. "To tell him to quit dicking around. He either wants to be with her or he doesn't. That's it. Now can we please stop talking about this? I don't want to fall out with you over Shane." He wanted to add that the fucker wasn't worth it but he held that bit back, pretty certain that it wouldn't go down too well.

"And I don't want to fight with you either but you have to understand the position you're putting me in here, Paul," she tried to reason, entwining their fingers and tugging him a little closer. At least they weren't shouting at each other anymore. "Shane is my brother."

"And I'm your husband," he half smirked, then let his full smile show when she smiled back. "You're husband who is sorry for leaving you at breakfast and who will try to hold back to keep the peace."

Stephanie smiled at him gratefully whilst wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry too." She kneaded the hard muscle under his skin. "And thank you for…."

"It's alright. I'm just happy you aren't shooting me daggers anymore because while I do find you incredibly sexy when you're mad, I prefer it a lot more when you're actually talking to me," he joked, leaning down to rub their noses together.

"I'll let that one slide," she whispered with a grin before her eyes slid shut at the feel of his lips on hers. They kissed slowly, arms wrapping around each other. After a moment or two, they broke apart but stayed close. "Hmmm," she sighed, her eyes opening again and twinkling back at him. Her sour mood from earlier was completely gone although the reason behind it wasn't forgotten. But she was over it and he seemed to understand how awkward the whole thing could turn out. That was all she could ask for. Besides, she hated fighting with him and just like her husband, much preferred it when they were talking. As for Shane, well, they would cross that bridge when they got to it. But for now all that mattered was that they were good again.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N** - I'm so sorry for taking an age to update this. But thanks to everybody who kept bugging my lazy ass to keep writing and get this thing done lol. It's finally here though and while I may be a little rusty, I think this is alright for getting rid of those cobwebs. Enjoy folks...

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Paul's mind was preoccupied as he walked down the corridors of the arena in a half-daze. He had a cage match later tonight, a cage match set to get particularly gruesome once Goldberg rallied the troops against Evolution. He thought the idea was great, for an all out brawl to ensue between all parties with an eventual Elimination Chamber match at the next PPV to settle the score. An absent smile crossed his face as he thought about it. After that they would be heading into the Rumble and the Road to Wrestlemania soon. It was his favourite time of year, even better than Christmas for him. Suddenly he collided with something, or rather somebody, and instantly reached out as a reflex. Quickly recognizing the flash of bleach blonde hair that whipped across his face though, he relaxed and straightened the woman up, his previous smile turning to a smirk. "Well now, what do we have here, huh?"

"Paul!" Trish groaned, one hand covering her chest as she breathed heavily. "You scared the actual shit out of me there. I nearly fell!"

"Oh get over it!" he rolled his eyes. "How are you? I haven't seen you in a couple of days. I tried talking to you at the show yesterday but I couldn't find you anywhere."

Trish gave him the once over, her face furrowing into a frown. He looked shifty. She motioned down the hall and the two began walking, eventually stopping at an empty area loaded with various WWE equipment boxes. She hopped up on one and patted his leg gently when he joined her. "I was with Shane but….is everything alright with you?"

"Yeah…why?" he asked tentatively, not quite sure where she was going with this.

"It's just that, well, the last time I saw you, you were storming up to your hotel room to make amends with Stephanie who looked as pissed off as I've ever seen her. Shane said you guys were having some trouble and while I don't want to poke my nose in your business, I am your friend, Paul. If you want to talk about it, I'm here." Trish looked at him sincerely, giving his thigh a comforting squeeze for good measure.

Paul let out a heavy breath and ran a hand over his face. Man he felt like such a bastard. He hadn't seen her for a few days and it wasn't exactly an accident like he was letting on. No, he had purposely avoided her because he didn't know how to approach this whole Shane and Stacy thing. Every time he thought about it, it made his blood fucking boil. But he couldn't tell her. He promised Stephanie he wouldn't involve himself and he knew if he did she'd be pissed off beyond words. Talk about a sticky situation. He simply didn't know what to do and avoided her like the plague these last few days as a result. Now here she was thinking something was up in his marriage. "I appreciate you being there for me, Trish, I really do. But honestly, nothing's wrong. We just had a little spat, that's all. I apologized for being an asshole as soon as I went up to the room and we've been fine ever since," he smiled, hating himself for practically lying through his teeth. Well it wasn't all lies. He had apologized for acting out, even if he felt like he was in the right and they had made up straight away.

"You sure?" she quizzed once more, not quite buying his story. His expression just looked…off. But he quickly smiled and nodded his head. This time the smile reached his eyes and that was enough for her. "Alright. Good. And just so you know, the offer still stands. If you ever need to talk about stuff like that, I'm here for you. Just as I know you're there for me if I need to, right?" She teased, bumping his shoulder.

"Haha…..right!" he chuckled nervously before clearing his throat. Fuck he had to change the subject and fast here. "So…uhhhh, what's your show looking like for tonight, huh? You got a match or a promo to prepare for?"

Her eyes grew wide, her deadpan expression showing complete un-amusement at what she was about to tell him. "Oh you're just not going to believe this."

"What?" he asked, letting out a soft sigh of relief. He knew talking about the show would do the trick and it had worked perfectly.

"A strange bedfellow's match has been booked and that skank Stacy Kiebler is my partner! God, what did I do to deserve this?" Trish raged, letting out a loud groan of frustration. "I don't want to breathe the same infected air she breathes never mind actually tag her into a match. I don't know where her dirty hands have been!"

Paul wanted to laugh at her exaggerated remarks but only managed a small chuckle in response. So much for changing the subject. If only she knew where Stacy's dirty hands had actually been. Jesus this was just fucking horrible. "Always the drama queen," he rolled his eyes, trying his best to play it off and not give anything away.

"Drama queen? Are you calling me a…" She suddenly stopped talking when she heard the ringing of a cell phone. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled her phone out and flipped it open, smiling as she brought the small device to her ear. She smiled apologetically at Paul before looking away, her smile growing even bigger as she heard his voice on the other end. "Hey."

"Hey. What you up to?" Shane asked from the back of his limo. He was on the way to the arena and wanted to find out where she was so he could meet with her when he arrived. Yesterday they had snuck back to his locker room and had made out like teenagers. It was amazing and had haunted his mind ever since. He could still feel her soft hand running along his crotch. Fuck he got hard just thinking about it.

"Nothing really. Just running over some things before my match later tonight. Where are you?"

Shane sat up straight and creaked his neck from side to side. "I'm on my way there now. I just left the hotel so I should be another thirty minutes or so depending on traffic. I was hoping we could pick up where we left off yesterday…" He left his sentence hanging, fully hoping she would say yes. He swore he was going to end up with blue balls if he didn't fuck her and soon. The woman was driving him absolutely crazy.

Trish smiled bashfully and turned her body from Paul, not wanting him to see the faint blush staining her cheeks. "Maybe we can. You'll just have to get here to find out, won't you?"

"Who is that?" Paul asked trying to hide his anger and already knowing the answer. His hand gripped the edge of the box he was leaning against hard, his knuckles turning white.

"Oh," Trish called over her shoulder. "It's just, Shane. He should be here pretty soon."

Paul scoffed just as she turned away again. He listened as they talked and flirted down the phone to each other some more. His head was thumping in anger. Why did this have to be happening? He wanted to grab that phone, tell Shano to fuck the hell off and then inform Trish what the boy wonder had been getting up to when she wasn't around. Instead he was handcuffed. It was either piss off his wife or hurt his friend. Another heavy sigh escaped him. He was back to square one.

"Alright. I guess I'll see you when you here then…..yes…yes!"

He watched her giggle like a schoolgirl and felt his stomach lurch.

"I'm looking forward to it. Bye." Trish ended the call with a huge smile on her face and turned to find Paul glaring at the wall in anger for some reason. She reached out and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, you alright?"

Shit. He had to get himself together here or she was going to get suspicious. Plastering a smile on his face, he looked her right in the eye and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm fine. Although listening to you and lover boy there sure did a number on my stomach."

She simply made a face and lightly thumped his arm. "I would reply but fortunately for me, I've got to go get ready." Shane would be here soon and she wanted to freshen up before he arrived.

Masking his snarl by glancing to the floor for a few seconds, Paul finally lifted his head before looking at her softly. "I won't keep you but ahhh," he felt sick for letting her go be with that creep but she seemed smitten. Other than revealing all there was nothing he could do. "Just be careful OK?"

"I always am," she turned and started to walk away.

"Hey Trish!"

"Yeah?"

"You never told me who your opponents are tonight by the way."

"Torrie and Lita. See ya!"

His eyes followed her until she disappeared around the corner. Fuck this was a mess. His hands wrung together nervously as a plan began to form in his mind. He couldn't come out and tell her what was going on or he'd bring a lot of unneeded hassle into his marriage. But what if somebody else told her? The light bulb suddenly went off and in an instant he spun on his heel and took off in the opposite direction, heading straight for the women's locker room. He knew just the person that would be able to break it to Trish, maybe even more so than him.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N** - Thanks for the reviews on the last one guys. As you'll soon find out, things start to pick up from here on out. Buckle up lol.

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Inside the arena, the fans were starting to empty out of their seats and head to the exits as the show came to an end. In the locker room however, the show was only about to begin. Amy pondered over how to approach the subject with the blonde currently pulling her hair into a loose ponytail. Their match had ended a while ago but as usual, they both had stuck around in order to watch the other matches and segments. Now it was time to pack up and head on to the next town and on the way, Amy had plans to knock this thing on the head once and for all. To say she had been surprised when Paul of all people had come looking for her earlier on had been an understatement. She immediately joked and told him that she didn't know where Trish was but the look in his eyes cut short the playful tone to her voice. They had walked to the ring under the guise of him helping her out with her ring work but that couldn't be further from the truth. Instead he had spilled the beans about what he saw regarding Shane and Stacy. Amy realized the gravity of the situation when he started talking about the awkward position he was in considering the fact that Shane was his brother in law. She felt for him, she really did. She also appreciated the fact that even though he couldn't tell Trish himself, that he had come to her and asked her to do it instead. It didn't matter who told her as long as she found out what a sleaze Shane really was. She let out an absent sigh and broke out of her reverie upon the gentle shove to her arm.

"Hey. You completely zoned out on me just there!" Trish smiled, giving the redhead another light push.

"Right….sorry," Amy replied curtly, her mind still on other things.

"You OK?"

Amy gently shook her head and looked her friend in the eye, plastering a big smile on her face. "I'm fine, just a little hungry. Speaking of which, what do you say to grabbing a quick bite to eat before hitting the road?"

"I could go for that. Where did you have in mind?"

"Nowhere in particular. I'm just starving so hurry up and let's get a move on, huh?" she teased, slinging her bag over her shoulder and heading towards the door. The other woman quickly followed suit and they walked down the corridor in silence, nodding and greeting the various WWE personnel they met along the way. They turned the corner leading to the open space of the parking lot. The trucks were already being loaded up with equipment etc and various superstars were heading to their rental cars, no doubt dreading the drive to the next town.

"No Matt and Jeff tonight?" Trish asked curiously. It was weird for Amy to travel without either Hardy. "And where is your…oh look…..hey! Hey Paul!"

Amy turned her line of vision at the mention of his name and sure enough, standing at the trunk of the limo right in front of them was none other than Mr and Mrs. Triple H. She smiled at Stephanie, watching was Paul pressed a chaste kiss to Trish's cheek before stepping back and finally meeting her gaze. His poker face gave nothing away and she inwardly congratulated him on his ability to mask the whole thing.

"Great match tonight, both of you," Paul smiled, glancing between them. "I especially liked the part where you turned on your partners and started beating the heck out of them!" he chuckled, giving everybody a laugh.

"Thanks," Trish grinned. "It was a bit of a dirty tactic but look who we're talking to, right? The king of dirty tactics!"

Stephanie let out a giggle and ran a hand over his arm. "Oh he's the king of dirty tactics alright!"

"Really?" He cried in dismay. "You give off to me all the time about the amount of innuendo I use yet you just did it right there yourself? If I'm the king of dirty tactics then you can bet your sweet ass you're the queen."

He was met with a prompt slap to the chest this time as all three women laughed. Stephanie rolled her eyes and motioned to get inside the waiting limo. "It was nice to see you both. I'm getting in the car, I'm freezing." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before disappearing inside the car.

Trish laughed at the expression on his face before turning to go herself. "I'm freezing too and Amy is hungry so we're going to go. We don't want to keep you back from your nice limo ride while we slum it up in our rental." Her tongue poked out between her teeth and her laughter grew louder as he rolled his eyes and let out a groan.

"Whatever!"

"Bye, Paul!" Trish called out over her shoulder, tugging on Amy's arm to get her to come along.

It wasn't much but in the split second before she turned around and walked away, Amy shared a knowing glance with Paul. She nodded at him, letting him know that she would do as he asked and he nodded back, letting her know that he appreciated it greatly.

"Bye, Amy," he said, almost to himself as the red head turned and joined her friend a few feet away. He stared after them for a moment or two, knowing that the conversation they were about to have wasn't going to be an easy one. But at least it was happening. It may not be coming from him but if there was anybody in the company that Trish trusted, it was Amy. That's why he had gone to her earlier in the day and asked her to tell Trish. He was thankful that she seemed to have Trish's best interests at heart and he could relax knowing that the right thing would be done. Now all he had to do was wait it out and pick up the pieces.

"Paul? Baby, are you coming?"

He watched the disappearing figures for a second longer and then turned to his wife with a smile on his face. "Yup." In one fluid motion he swung both their suitcases into the open trunk before climbing inside and pulling the door shut as they set off on the ride to the next town.

* * *

"For somebody that's supposed to be hungry, you really aren't eating a lot of food," Trish surmised as she watched her friend poke at her fries with a fork. They had settled on a Denny's not too far from the arena but instead of the easy conversation that usually flowed between them, they had sat in mostly silence. It was unnerving her to say the least.

"I'm sorry I just…." Amy trailed off. It was now or never. "I guess there's never going to be a good time to do this so…."

Trish frowned and put down her chicken burger. "What is it?"

"Trish I….it's about Shane." With the mention of his name, Amy watched as her friend's entire demeanour changed. She looked almost defensive already. This was going to go down a treat.

"What about, Shane?"

"Well…the other night, back at the hotel, I left my room to go get some ice but the machine on my floor was broken so I had to go up a few floors. Anyways, I'm walking along the corridor and I see Stacy coming out of one of the rooms looking all scruffy. Her hair was all mussed up, make-up smudged. Obviously she'd been in whoever's room spreading her legs but then…"

"For God sakes will you just spit it out!" Trish snapped, already guessing where this was going.

Amy looked up in shock at the outburst but couldn't help but feel like she deserved it. She was lying after all. Well not lying, embellishing. Just because she hadn't personally seen it herself didn't mean it didn't happen. So what if she had to play with the facts a little? It didn't matter as long as Trish knew the truth, that Shane was a scumbag and she should get as far away from him as possible. Letting out a heavy sigh she continued. "It was Shane's room Trish. Stacy gave the man she was with one more kiss in the doorway and when she walked away, I could clearly see that it was Shane. I'm sorry."

A tense silence engulfed the table. Trish couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did Amy really think she was that stupid? Shane was right when he told her that people would be jealous of them seeing each other, especially the other Divas. Hell, Stacy was living proof of that. She just never expected it to come from one of her best friends as well. "Sorry for what? Sorry for lying? Sorry for making shit up to try and make Shane look bad?"

"What?" Amy exploded. That had been the absolute last thing she had ever expected to come out of the other woman's mouth.

"You heard me. What exactly are you sorry for? You know I can't even believe this. Of all the people I thought would have a problem with me seeing Shane, you were last on the list. I mean, I knew you didn't like him but I didn't think you would go so far to try and discredit him like this." She was absolutely fuming.

"You can't believe this? _I_ can't believe this," Amy cried out in frustration. "When have I ever lied to you, Trish? I'm telling you what I saw and you're outright refusing to believe me. Are you really that hung up over the boy wonder that you won't see sense when it's staring you right in the face? The guy is a sleaze. He'll fuck anything that moves and that's the only reason he's with you, Trish, to add another notch to his bedpost." She hadn't meant to say all that but there was no point in holding back now.

Trish angrily began rummaging through her purse. She pulled out some money and slammed it on the table before getting to her feet. "You can ride the rest of the way there on your own. I'm not putting up with this shit." She spun on her heel and stormed out of the diner, heading immediately for the Avis she had seen a few blocks back. Hopefully it would still be open and she could get her own ride. There was no way she was driving with Amy after that bullshit. She was absolutely fuming over what had just happened. Why couldn't her friend, although she used the term loosely right about now, just be happy for her instead of being everything she hated; a bitter, jealous bitch. Yanking her phone out of her pocket, she hit the button to type out a new text message and pressed down on the keys angrily as she typed and hit send. No more than a few moments later and the phone buzzed.

_I cant wait to see you either xx S_

His message brought a smile to her face and she continued to her destination. Amy could go fuck herself. These past few weeks with Shane had made her happy and she wasn't going to throw that all away because of other people's insecurities. As if Shane would sleep with Stacy anyways. He had told her himself that he didn't find her attractive in the slightest and that he only had eyes for her. That thought spread a warm glow throughout her otherwise chilly body. She really couldn't wait until the weekend. They were spending the night at Shane's apartment and with a bit of luck, they would take their relationship to the next level.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N** - Word of warning, things get rather messy in this one. I just thought I'd say that before you decide to read any further and possibly get offended. It's not my intention to do so but given the subject at hand, I guess it's possible. Anyways, it's all fiction at the end of the day so in that sense, I hope you can appreciate the chapter for what it is. Enjoy...

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Trish smiled absently at the production guy who tried to budge past her without dropping any of the reams of paper currently balancing between his arms. They were mid show but her match was over and she had plans with Shane. In fact, they were going back to his apartment tonight since they were just across the state line in New Jersey for the show. She wanted to be excited and to be looking forward to the night ahead but try as she might, she just didn't seem to be able to muster the energy and she knew exactly the reason why. Guilt. She felt fucking horrible over the way she had acted with Amy just a few short days ago. Since then, they had barely spoken and she had been practically cut off from contact with anybody else but Shane. Thankfully he had been at the shows to keep her company or she would have been a complete loner. A small smile crept upon her face as she thought about him. She had been more than cautious when he first began pursuing her. After all, the rampage he went on concerning the divas in the back was no secret to anybody. But she was determined not to be a conquest of his and she hadn't been. Their circumstances were completely different. It was almost three months since Paul and Stephanie's wedding and Shane had been nothing but a gentleman. He hadn't forced her or pushed her into anything and that alone spoke volumes as to how different this was for him compared with the other divas. Her uncertainty and doubt had all but disappeared over the last month or so and she was fully happy with how things had been going between them. It was just so unfortunate that Amy had to act the way she did. She knew Amy didn't really like Shane. That became apparent the night she had spoken about what she witnessed between him and his ex-wife at a dinner function a few years ago. Well maybe it was more that she didn't approve of him, especially being with her because as a friend, she was just looking out for her. It was too bad she hadn't thought of that during their huge bust up at the diner. After having some time to cool down, Trish realized that that's all Amy was doing. She had her concerns about Shane and was only looking out for her. Yeah, she had a shitty way of going about it and yeah, it was wrong of her to drag Shane's name through the mud like that but in the end, she was only doing what she thought was right. For that, Trish couldn't fault her and on the spot decided to speak to her come Raw on Monday.

"Hey, Trish."

The blonde woman turned her head to find Stephanie McMahon standing in front of her, clipboard in one hand and a coffee in the other. She bit back a smile as her mind drifted to Paul's opinion on her drinking habits and instead shifted on her feet and offered a warm smile. "Hi, Stephanie."

"You're changed quickly tonight. Not sticking around for the rest of the show?" Stephanie asked curiously. Trish was usually one of the few divas who actually did stay to watch the other matches and try to learn from the guys if she could. For that, she admired her greatly. She knew firsthand, as a woman, just how hard it was to get any measure of respect in this business but just like her, Trish had succeeded in spades.

Trish smiled almost bashfully and ducked her head as she spoke. "Actually I'm going on a date with your brother." Her face turned all sorts of red as she tried in vain to hide her blushing cheeks. Dating Shane was one thing. Talking about dating Shane with his sister was another thing entirely.

"Oh," Stephanie said simply, trying her best to smile and mean it. She sort of felt sorry for the other woman in a way. Poor girl had no idea what the hell her brother had been up to and while she more than disapproved, Shane was family. That trumped everything in the end although her husband didn't seem to be able to grasp that fact. Either way, she wasn't going to get dragged into this because it was simply none of her, or Paul's, business. "Well…I hope you have a good time. I guess he's taking you back to his place, right?" Upon the other woman's nod she continued. "He has an amazing view of the city from up there. You'll love it!"

Trish was just about to speak when the loud call of somebody calling the other woman's name stopped her. She watched as Stephanie rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee.

"Duty calls," the brunette sighed. "I'll see you, Trish. Enjoy your night."

"See you, Stephanie," Trish mumbled, basically to herself as she stood there, her eyes absently looking down the corridor. She wouldn't necessarily say that she was friends with Stephanie. She was friends with Amy. She was friends with Paul. In fact, she was great friends with Amy and Paul. Acquaintances would be a better word to describe her relationship with the younger McMahon. They got along fine and even shared some really fun times together, but mostly in the company of either Paul, Shane or somebody else. Even still, she thought she knew enough about the woman by now to be able to have an effective read on her and what she had just read left a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Their conversation had been casual and easygoing until she had mentioned her date with Shane. At that point she noticed the almost pitiful look on Stephanie's face and it unnerved her. Why the hell would she react like that over her very own brother? In the back of her mind the idea was starting to formulate that perhaps something wasn't right here. First Paul telling her to be careful, then Amy with all that Stacy nonsense and now Stephanie with her funny looks. What the hell didn't she know? It almost felt like everybody was hiding something from her.

"There she is."

Suddenly she jumped as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind. She took a deep breath and instantly recognized the cologne. Shane. Her initial surprise quickly slipped away and she turned in his arms with a huge smile on her face. "Hey."

"Hi," Shane grinned, leaning down to place a lingering kiss on her waiting lips. They shared a lengthy kiss before he pulled back and looked into her eyes. "You ready to get out of here?"

"Ready," she smiled in earnest, linking her arm through his as they headed for the exit.

* * *

Unbeknownst to either of them however, standing just around the corner was none other than Stacy Kiebler. The leggy blonde wore a face like thunder, her pretty features balled up into a fierce snarl. She too was finished up for the night, after getting her ass beat by Trish no less, and was walking down the hall when she spotted the curious combination of Trish and Stephanie standing talking to one another. Her eyes had lit up at the sight. What an interesting pair. Paul's wife and his fuck buddy, his hot little piece on the side standing _side_ by side in conversation. The irony was killing her. Poor Stephanie really didn't have a clue what her husband was up to and how blatant was Trish, just standing there talking to the wife of the man she was fucking and staring the woman right in the face. It was absurd and only confirmed what she already knew, that Trish was nothing but a two bit whore sleeping her way to the top. What happened next gave her even more proof, as if she needed it. Stephanie had shuffled off and was quickly replaced by Shane. Her eyes burned out of their sockets when she saw him cosying up to that skank. She tried to deny it but her gut had burned with jealousy upon seeing them. She literally couldn't believe that Shane, the man who had just got through fucking her in his dressing room no more than an hour ago was now standing in front of her looking after Trish like some lovesick puppy. It made her sick, absolutely sick. No wonder he had been in such a rush to leave. The bitch snapped her fingers and he obviously went running. God it infuriated her to no end. What the hell did Trish have that she didn't? Why were Shane and Paul both infatuated with her? How did she even manage to pull the wool over their eyes? Well she hadn't been able to do so with her, not by a fucking long shot. It was clear that the lovebirds had plans for the night and she was glad she had acted back in the locker room when she did. Shane had pulled out of her and disappeared into the connected bathroom, leaving her alone for a few moments. She had taken the opportunity to lift her strewn thong from the floor and shove it into his suit pocket along with a note reminding him that she was available any time. A sly smile crossed her face at the thought. Oh how she wished she just could have ran over while they had been standing there and rubbed it right in that bitch's face that her man had been fucking her every and anywhere he could manage since the night in his hotel room. She could just imagine the devastated look on poor little Trish's face. Or how about the look on her face if she spilled to Stephanie about what she had been getting up to with her husband? The smile on her face only grew wider as all sorts of possibilities began to fly through her head. She had already bagged Shane and no doubt that would break Trish. But Paul? He was something different all together. Not only would she get to fuck Stephanie McMahon's husband, which would be something to brag about to no end, but she would also get to fuck the man that Trish loved the most. She wasn't stupid. She saw the way Trish looked at him and simply couldn't believe that nobody else, much less Stephanie or Shane had picked up on it by now. Sleeping with Shane would break her but sleeping with Paul would break her heart. As she pushed herself off the wall and rounded the corner, she thought to herself that perhaps it was time she looked into _playing the game_ so to speak. He was banging Trish and God knows who else on the side already so he clearly liked to fuck around. Besides, if she could bed him then so could Stacy. She hadn't thought of it before but now that the idea had popped into her head, she certainly wasn't going to rule it out. With a devious smile on her face, the blonde continued on down the hall, scheming all the way.

* * *

Shane could hardly contain his excitement as he opened the apartment door and ushered Trish inside. This was it. Finally, after all this time they were going to sleep together. He had a semi practically all day just thinking about it. He smiled as he watched her glance around the spacious room, her gaze immediately drawn to the huge ceiling to floor glass windows overlooking the city. "Go ahead and have a look. I'll be over in just a second," he called over his shoulder, quickly taking off his suit jacket and flinging it on the sofa before disappearing into the kitchen.

Trish stood wide eyed just staring out at all the lights and people below. Stephanie wasn't lying when she said he had a great view. This was amazing. She kept her gaze locked on the window for a few moments longer before turning and taking a slow glance around the room. It was very masculine, neat and spacious. But it didn't feel particularly homey to her. In fact, it felt almost a little cold if she were being honest. There were hardly any pictures save for the odd one scattered here and there, nor any personal touches either which she found a bit strange. Most homes tended to be full of pictures and family heirlooms. In here, while it looked the part, it didn't exactly make her feel very comfortable. It was almost too perfect, sterile. A rumble and loud slamming noise filtered through the swing door and she heard Shane muttering to himself.

"Sorry! I'll be out in a second!" he called, juggling the wine bottle in his hand as he tried to get the damn thing open.

"Take your time," Trish yelled back, taking a seat on the plump leather sofa. She immediately felt a soft lump under her thigh and shuffled around, reaching underneath her legs to pull out Shane's jacket. She shook her head softly and held it up, shaking it out. She went to fold it when something fell out of one of the pockets. Folding it up anyways, she laid it across the back of the couch then reached down to pick the item up. Her eyes grew wide as she unravelled a lacy white thong with what appeared to be a note crumpled up inside.

_Any place, anywhere. Call me, Stacy._

A thick lump formed at the back of her throat. What the fuck was this? What the actual fuck was this? "Oh my God," she hushed to herself, her hands dropping the panties to the floor in disgust. She stared at them, almost in a trance like state for a few moments before her eyes snapped shut tight. She couldn't believe this. It couldn't be true. God, she had been such a damn fool. Her brain was finding it hard to even digest it all but at the same time, pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit together and it made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Sorry about that, I couldn't get the damn bottle open," Shane smiled completely unawares as he re-entered the room, wine and glasses in tow; until he saw the look on her face. He pulled up short, looking at her in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Trish couldn't even speak and she didn't want to either, fearful that she would cry in front of him and she sure as hell didn't want to do that. She was better than this, better than this scumbag standing in front of her right now. Her eyes slid shut again, tightly, and she choked back a sob before snapping them open and burning a whole right through him. "What's wrong?" She reached down and lifted the incriminating garment back into her hand before throwing it right in his face. "That's what's wrong," she absolutely seethed. "I can't believe this. You know I actually thought we had something pretty good going on here, Shane. Obviously not otherwise you wouldn't feel the need to go sniffing elsewhere."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" he snarled in anger, removing the thong from the neck of the bottle in his hand and looking at it in confusion. Where in the fuck had that come from?

"Any place, anywhere. Call me, Stacy? Stacy? Of all the people it had to be her," she shook her head, still not quite fully believing that this was happening right now. "I just….I don't even know what to say to you right now."

Shane set the bottle down and clenched his fists tightly. Kiebler. Fucking that bitch hadn't been enough for her, no, she had to go and start leaving him fucking keepsakes of her panties. This was most certainly not how he had expected this night to play out. He caught her gaze and felt a cold shiver of anger run down his spine. Who the fuck was Trish anyway, standing here accusing him without even giving him a chance to explain? "You could let me explain…"

"Explain what, Shane? I know Stacy can't keep her legs closed for one second but I hardly think she'd be leaving her thongs in your pocket for the hell of it. I knew something was up when Amy told me that she saw you together. Why didn't I just believe her? Now I'm standing here, humiliated with egg on my face," she began to ramble, pretty much to herself. "You can go to fucking hell, Shane. I want no part in this bullshit."

As she began to gather her things, Shane felt something inside him snap. A ferocious fire began to burn in his gut, spreading throughout his entire body and engulfing him to the point where he saw red. He could only ever remember getting this feeling a few times before and all of them came about as a result of fighting like this with his ex-wife Marissa when she called him on his sleeping around, just like Trish was doing right now. He was staring into space and almost missed her turning and heading for the door until he snapped his head in her direction and stalked towards her. His hand slammed down on the door just as she tried to pull it open and she whipped around, obviously intending to give him a piece of her mind but immediately stopped at the look on his face. "Don't you dare fucking open that door."

Trish gulped uneasily. He had said it so calmly but good God if there wasn't such a menacing tone behind his words. His eyes looked black, hard and cold and she felt her stomach quiver in fear. Something wasn't right with him. He moved closer until she was literally backed against the door. Shit. She was trapped. "Shane…"

"Shut up," he growled. He wasn't going to let her or anybody else ruin this night for him. As far as he was concerned, he was going to sleep with her and that was it. He reached down and roughly grabbed her arm, pulling her back into the room.

"Ow! Shane….let go…Shane, you're hurting me!" she cried desperately, the panic beginning to take over her completely as it started to dawn on her just what exactly was going to happen here. But the stinging slap she received to the face completely took her down, sending her sailing to the floor in a heap. Her hand grasped her cheek as tears filled her eyes. She looked up at him and didn't see one shred of humanity in his eyes at all. He looked maniacal and she was scared to fucking death.

"I SAID SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he roared before rearing back and slapping her again. This time her painful whimper echoed around the room and he reached down, grabbing her arm tightly and yanking her back to her feet. Her right cheek was glowing red and her skin already starting to swell but he didn't give a fuck. "This is happening whether you want it to or not, Trish. I suggest you just give in and enjoy it because either way, I'm fucking you tonight," he half whispered into her ear, his lips and tongue flicking out to taste her skin.

She could hardly think straight as her head spun from the force of his slaps. She could feel his fingers digging deep into her forearm and cried out again when he forcefully pulled her into his bedroom. Her body began to tremble in desperation as he flung her to the bed. "Please, Shane. Please don't do this," she pled, her eyes looking into his for any sign of remorse or compassion. Instead she received another hard slap to the face and that was it. She barely felt his hands on her thighs as everything began to turn black and she drifted away, completely absent from the crime being committed upon her body right then and there.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N** - Sorry for taking an age with this but it's finally here, yay! Thanks for all your reviews and comments btw. I truly enjoy reading them lol.

* * *

The large room was almost full as the last latecomers hurried along and tried to find a seat for the production meeting about to take place. Paul grinned when he felt Stephanie slap his hand away under the table. He turned to her with a playful smile and was happy to find it returned. "I'll behave," he whispered near her ear, pressing a quick kiss on her head before turning his attention to the top of the table. Vince was pacing and looked unimpressed at the still unfilled room. God forbid anybody keep the man waiting. He held in a chuckle as his father-in-law grew more and more agitated and was just about to turn and make a comment to his wife when he spotted a familiar head of blonde hair slinking into the room and heading immediately for the back. Her head was down and a Toronto ball cap covered her face but it was definitely Trish. Paul kept his gaze focused on her, waiting for her to look up and glance around like any normal person would but it didn't happen. Frowning curiously, his head titled, almost as if he was silently prompting her to look up and when she finally did, his frown only got bigger and his eyes grew wide. All down the left side of her face was a mixture of deep pink and purple bruising. Where in the hell had that come from? His demeanour grew agitated as he tried to remember the last time he had seen her. Had that happened in the ring? It must have. Maybe it had just taken a few days to show up. Either way, he was concerned to say the least and not only that, her entire aura seemed to be very…off. He sat forward in his seat a little further and tried his best to get a better look but her stupid cap kept getting in the way. In the back of his mind he remembered her talking about her date with Shane over the weekend but he didn't even entertain the possibility that this could have been from him. It just didn't enter his mind at all. Instead he sat there constantly staring in her direction every few seconds with a concerned frown on his face.

"That was a brief rundown of last week's show. Now then, moving on to tonight…." Vince boomed on in the background.

Stephanie was hardly paying him any attention. She was way too focused on the fact that her husband wasn't paying _her_ any attention. They had been sitting there fooling around under the table and she was sure he was going to say something to her when Trish had entered the room and he had all but ignored her ever since. Granted, they were in a meeting so he could hardly talk to her but the second the other woman had walked through the door, he hadn't taken his eyes off her and Stephanie felt the tiniest sliver of jealously rattle throughout her body. She honestly didn't have a problem with them being such close friends. She knew Trish wasn't that type of woman and more importantly than that, she knew her husband. She trusted Paul completely. The two of them just had a very close friendship, that was it. That didn't stop her from getting increasingly annoyed at his constant fussing over her lately. All this Shane business was driving her nuts truth be told. Shane in general was driving her nuts and not just her but her parents also. Her dad had been willing to give him a little time soon after the divorce to get whatever the hell was up with him out of his system. That's why he had looked the other way when word got out about Shane sleeping with some of the divas. But that had been a long time ago. Surely to God he would have settled down by now? Obviously not since she knew what he was getting up to. So did their father and he wasn't all too happy about it. Her blue eyes glanced sympathetically at the blonde woman and that was when she noticed the bruising on her face. Jesus. How the hell hadn't she seen that before now? Damn. Trish must have taken a pretty nasty bump for that to be the result. Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, Stephanie pushed down the memory of meeting the blonde a few days ago when there had been absolutely nothing wrong with her face and what that quite possibly could mean. She wasn't going there. Not again.

"So, does anybody have any questions or comments on what we've discussed thus far?" Vince asked, his eyes glancing around the room. He spotted the frowning face of his daughter and naturally assumed that she was making a face at something he had said. Frowning himself, he focused his gaze upon her and cleared his throat. "Stephanie? Anything you want to add here?"

"Huh?" Stephanie turned her head at the sound of her name being called and immediately caught her father's gaze. "Ummmm…." She stuttered, completely unaware of what he had just asked.

Paul discreetly leaned towards her and whispered as quietly as possible. "Just say no, no you don't."

"Ummmm….no…no I don't," she smiled sweetly, giving her husband an appreciative tap on the knee under the table for no doubt saving her ass.

Vince looked at her for a second longer, not quite convinced before deciding that he would talk to her after the meeting. "Alright then, moving on…"

Stephanie turned and looked her smiling husband in the eye. His stupid little grin was infectious and she couldn't help but discreetly grin back while giving his leg another soft squeeze. "Thanks for saving my ass, dear."

"I like your ass way too much to let anything happen to it, darling," he joked back before his playful gaze turned serious. "You OK though? You did look a little spaced out."

"I'm fine. I….." she stopped upon catching the disapproving look from her father. She felt like she was back in school getting scolded by her teacher for talking with her crush during class. It was ridiculous!

Paul immediately knew why she stopped and bit back his chuckle. Daddy wasn't happy that his baby girl wasn't paying him her full attention. They had plenty of time to talk afterwards, well, after he spoke to Trish. That was his plan of action. He wasn't letting her get out of here without him and as he thought about her again, his gaze turned to the back of the room. She still sat there apparently in a world of her own; her head still down and cap still covering her bruised face. He just wanted to talk to her, find out what the hell happened to her face and make sure she was OK.

* * *

At the top of the table and almost sitting opposite his sister and brother-in-law sat Shane. His expression was highly amused, first and foremost because of the disapproving stares thrown in his sister's direction by their father. Stephanie could never bear to disappoint their dad. He found it hilarious that even at this age she was till so deferent to him. But even more than that, he was amused by the actions he had watched unfold from the second one Trish Stratus had walked into the room. He had seen Paul and his sister fooling around under the table, had seen them fooling around in general but that all came to a sudden halt when Paul had spotted Trish. His eyes hadn't moved from her and his face had grown very concerned. Obviously he was worried about his little friend. It made him bristle with annoyance. There he was, Saint Paul, always looking out for those around him and being his stupid saintly self. It was getting on his last nerve and he swore that if he poked that huge fucking nose into his business then he'd pay for it and pay dearly. The last thing he needed was anybody asking questions about what had happened to Trish. The bitch had it coming anyways. If she thought she could lead him on like that for months only to walk away just before he got the prize, well, she had another thing coming and she got it in spades. A sick smile crossed his face as his mind went back to his apartment and how good it felt to be buried inside her. Jesus. She may be a bitch but she was worth the wait and then some. It had been amazing and speaking of which, the look on his sister's face when she noticed her beloved husband practically staring a hole in Trish's direction had been amazing, priceless even. So, Stephanie wasn't so blind after all. He had watched very curiously, watched her body language grow stiff and watched her get lost in her thoughts to the point that dad actually had to ask if she was alright. Ha! Magnificent. If Stephanie was growing suspicious then that could only work in his favour. His gaze turned to Paul and he silently swore a vow to himself, a vow to use every and anything within his power to destroy the other man if he started asking questions, including preying on his sister's suspicions and even exaggerating them if he had to. Nobody knew what had caused his divorce and nobody would find out that the same thing had also happened to Trish. Both bitches had deserved it anyways. He was Shane fucking McMahon. Who were they to deny or question him? Who was anybody to deny or question him for that matter?

"I think that will do us for today, folks. And remember, game faces tonight, please. We've got a PPV this Sunday and I want the intensity to begin tonight, alright? Thank you," Vince wrapped up, waiting a moment for some people to move out of the room before heading right for his daughter.

Stephanie was just about to ask her husband if he wanted to go to catering for lunch now or wait until later when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Stephanie. Can I borrow you for a little bit? I need to run over some final script changes with you," Vince asked hopefully, knowing she would come in the end. He watched as she looked between himself and Paul before shrugging her shoulders and nodding her head. "Great! Come on, we can do lunch while we're going over stuff."

"I'll catch you later I guess," she said, leaning in to kiss her husband on the lips.

"I'll be sure to find you before the show," Paul replied, giving her another quick kiss and nodding his goodbyes to his father-in-law. "See ya, Vince. Don't keep her too long now!"

"I'll try!" Vince chuckled, taking her by the arm and gently tugging her to the top of the room where Shane was waiting. "Alright children…"

"Dad!"

"I'm kidding!" the elder McMahon joked. "Let's go grab some food and head back to my office where we can run over this crap."

"Lead the way," Shane motioned with his hand towards the door. He looked curiously around the near empty room and didn't spot Trish or Paul. His stomach clenched and he reiterated his vow from earlier. If Paul wanted to make this his business then he'd make destroying Paul _his_ business.

* * *

Trish walked as quickly as she could down the halls of the backstage area, fully intending to head to her rental where she could be alone. She didn't want to deal with anybody right now, didn't want to face their curious gazes and questions. Most of all, she didn't want to be anywhere near Paul, not when she had seen the look on his face back in the meeting. She simply couldn't face him, not when his brother-in-law had done this to her, had….had….had raped her. She swallowed the thick lump in her throat and tried desperately to blink away the hot tears threatening to fall down her cheeks but it was to no avail. Ignoring the looks thrown her way by practically everybody she passed, she kept on walking and finally found the parking lot. Her eyes scanned around for her car and she quickly took off towards it when she spotted it parked over in the corner. Her body sank into the chair and she took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. Christ she was a mess, she had been ever since it happened a few days ago. She was barely able to function and didn't know how the hell she was going to be able to pull herself together for TV later. She put the key in the ignition but just before she turned it, a loud rapping on the window scared her half to death. Her body jumped wildly and she turned to see none other than Paul standing outside the window, his hands shielding himself from the bitter wind and rain. She hadn't even noticed the weather at all.

Paul rapped the window again, this time a little harder as a huge gust of wind nearly blew his head off. "Open up!"

"Paul, I have to…..I have to go back to the hotel….I forgot something," she yelled back at him. She really didn't want to speak to him right now because if she did she just knew she would break down. It also struck her that she had used the exact same excuse when trying to get away from Shane all those months ago. She only wished that she never gave him the time of day because then none of this would have happened.

"For fuck sake, Trish! Open the door!" he tried again, this time reaching for the handle and to his surprise and hers, it opened. He leaned down and poked his head inside the car, his eyes looking her up and down worriedly. "You want to tell me what the hell is going on here? I'd prefer it if we went inside or you let me in the car but if we have to do it like this then you had better start talking."

She knew it was pointless at that point. He had that look on his face, that look that told her that he wasn't giving up and what's more, his presence made her feel comfortable, at least, as comfortable as she could be under the circumstances. Despite the fact that they were outside with the wind howling and rain pelting down, just having him near put her somewhat at ease. She just wished that they didn't have to talk and instead she could just spend time with him like they normally did. That simply wasn't possible this time.

"Trish! I am kinda freezing my balls off here. Any chance?"

"Get in," she mumbled eventually.

He shut the door and a few seconds later was climbing in the other side, his hands rubbing his bare arms in an attempt to get some heat back in them. If she hadn't taken off the second the meeting was over he would have had the chance to grab a jacket but no, instead he had to run out into the middle of a near freaking storm to chase after her in nothing but a t-shirt and jeans. His hands slowed and finally came to a stop as he brought them to his lap and turned to look at her. He felt his chest grow tight for a second. She looked…well, he didn't quite know what she looked to be honest. But she certainly wasn't herself and that horrible bruising looked painful. He reached up to touch her face and pulled back when she abruptly moved away from him. "Fucking hell, Trish. You want to tell me what this is all about?"

"No."

"No?"

They sat in silence for a few moments, her looking out the window and him staring at her intently. He had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. What in the fuck was going on? "Trish…it's me, come on."

She took a deep breath and finally looked at him, watching as his eyes ran over the bruises and slowly grew angrier by the second. But that anger all but disappeared when he looked into her eyes, his expression growing soft again.

"What the hell happened to you, huh? You look like you went ten rounds with Mike Tyson." This time when he reached up to touch her face she didn't flinch. His hand gently ran over her cheek before cupping her chin and tilting her head to the side a little. "Jesus," he sighed, finally seeing the full extent of the damage. "Did this happen in the ring?" At her silence he dropped his hand from her face to her lap and took her much smaller one into his. "Look, I don't know what's going on with you, Trish but I'm not leaving you here like this so you either start talking or we sit here in a pretty awkward silence. Now, I don't know about you but I'm hungry and would very much like to grab some food." She remained silent and he squeezed her hand. "That was a hint you know."

For the first time in days she actually managed the smallest of smiles. "Paul listen, I…" She had to swallow the lump in her throat as she began to choke up again. This was just so hard.

"Alright, move."

"What?"

"Move," he said again. "We're swapping seats and I'm taking you…somewhere. Come on." He was at her door in seconds, holding his hand out to her and urging her out of the car. He shielded her from the pelting rain as best he could, ushering her into the passenger seat before racing back round and climbing inside himself. "Sooooooo," he trailed off. "Where to go?" Silence filled the car once more before he nodded his head, a smile on his face. "I know. Simple, easy and nearby."

Trish just watched him start up the car and take off. Fifteen minutes later they were in the hotel elevator on their way to her room. She could feel his hand on the small of her back as he gently urged her along the hall. He pulled the key card she had given him from his back pocket and started looking for the right number.

"Here we go," he said triumphantly and finally, they were in her alone in her room. He turned to shut the door and when he turned back was surprised to feel her instantly in his arms, her face buried in his neck as she began to shake with her sobs. "Shit. Trish? What's wro…it's alright," he switched tactics mid sentence. There would be time for talking later. Right now she obviously needed him and he was determined to be there for her. He brought his hand up and gently stroked her hair and back. "It's alright, it's alright," he hushed softly, feeling an overwhelming need to protect her run through his veins. When she was ready to talk, they would talk.


	17. Chapter 17

Paul held Trish tightly in his arms. She was still sobbing and had been for the past few minutes. Her shaking was only getting worse and he decided that he had to do something to calm her down or she would end up hysterical. Gently pulling back, he dipped his head and looked her in the eye. "Hey, hey," he said softly, reaching up to gently wipe the tears from her eyes. He ignored the deep bruising and the anger he felt in his gut at the sight and held her shoulders. "Listen to me, you're safe, OK? Nothing's going to happen but I need you to calm down, Trish. You getting in a state isn't going to be good for either of us."

His gentle voice worked through her and she slowly nodded her head, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. He was right, she did need to calm down but calming down meant she had to talk about it and she wasn't quite sure she was ready for that yet or ever would be.

"Trish."

She looked into his eyes as his finger lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him and felt a deep stirring in her chest. She really didn't want to do this, not with him.

"Hey," Paul said again, this time grabbing her face with both hands. He was determined to keep her calm. "It's just you and me in here and if you want to just sit then that's fine but I'm begging you, please tell me what the hell happened, Trish. I'm seriously fucking worried about you."

Trish took another deep breath before finally taking his hand and leading him to the bed. She didn't have a suite and it was the only place where they could sit together. She wanted to be near him for the simple fact that he did make her feel safe. He comforted her and right now that was exactly what she needed. After a moment, she reached up and removed her hat.

He sucked in a breath at finally getting to see her injuries in the light and felt his blood boil. He simply couldn't stop himself from reaching out once again, his fingers gently running over the bruised skin. "Jesus Christ."

"I….." she began. Jesus it was on the tip of her tongue to just spill her guts and tell him what really happened but she couldn't, not given his precarious position. She knew he would believe her and she also knew that he would immediately go find Shane and beat the living shit out of him for what he had done. She simply couldn't have that and that was without factoring Stephanie into the equation. She wouldn't be responsible for ruining his marriage or his career, even if it meant lying right to his face. "I was mugged," she eventually got out.

Paul frowned at her explanation. He didn't know why but his intuition was telling him that something was off here. "Mugged?"

"Yes. I…..it was after I had been at…..at Shane's place and I was out trying to hail a cab when some guy attacked me. He….he pulled me in an alley and….told me he was going to rape me…" here she broke down again. Despite the fact that she wasn't telling the truth, even saying that word tore her up inside. She felt dirty, cheap and used, not to mention damaged goods.

"Fucking son of a bitch," Paul muttered under his breath as he instantly opened his arms and pulled her close. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She had been mugged on the street, almost fucking raped by the sounds of it by this creep who had attacked her. And where the hell was Shane? Hell, why didn't she stay the night? He knew he should probably keep his questions for later but he just couldn't help himself. He wanted details, he wanted to find this guy and cut his fucking balls off for what he had done. "Why were you out on the streets alone?"

"I had…..I was leaving, Shane's place," she managed to get out between sobs.

"But why? I thought you were spending the night there?" he probed further. Why the fuck would she leave unless something had gone wrong. "Did something happen?" He watched as her eyes dropped and felt confusion mix with the anger swirling through his brain. "Did something happen, Trish?"

She finally worked up the courage to look at him directly, she had to. She simply had to convince him that this had nothing to do with Shane. This thing was already a mess without dragging Paul into it as well. Fuck, this was so hard. "We…..I called it off."

"What? Why? I thought things were going well."

"They were but…I'm just not ready for a proper relationship, Paul and especially not with my boss. I don't know what I was thinking, I….." she wiped furiously at her face, careful not to hurt her bruised cheek and desperately hoped that he was buying her story. It made her sick to her stomach, absolutely sick to her stomach, to point the finger away from that monster but she had to do it, she had to protect Paul and keep him out of this mess and in a way, she was protecting herself. God knows if this ever got out she'd no doubt lose her job, her livelihood. Everything would be ruined, she'd lose it all and that simply wasn't an option. She wasn't going to let that fucker take everything she'd worked so hard to get away from her. The gentle feel of his thumb running along the back of her hand forced her to look up at him once again. God, Paul. He was being so amazing, he always had been. He was everything she wanted in a man, hell, he was everything she needed too but of course he had to be taken. His deep brown eyes were staring at her in such genuine concern. He truly cared about her and for a fleeting second she let herself believe that maybe he more than cared for her. Jesus, she was going crazy. Shane had fucked up her head. He loved Stephanie. Paul loved Stephanie. Part of her knew, deep down inside, that if she wasn't so sure and wasn't convinced about his feelings for Stephanie that she absolutely would have tried to move things further with him. She wouldn't have been able to help herself. They were on the road a lot. Sometimes Stephanie was there, sometimes she wasn't and when she wasn't, who did Paul come to? Her or Shawn. That had to mean something and it did, it meant that they were friends. But did it mean that they were more than friends or could be more than friends? Looking into his eyes, his beautiful, concerned brown eyes she let herself believe that it did, even if it was just for a moment because for that one moment, that one moment where she could be his and he could be hers, the pain stopped and everything was perfect.

"I'm sorry, that was a stupid question. You don't have to explain yourself. I know firsthand what you're feeling because I had the exact same thoughts many times when Steph and I were still just dating."

And just like that she was brought crashing back down to reality again. Steph and I. Steph and him. Steph and Paul. They were married. He was married. She was nothing but his friend. It hadn't hit her until now but all of a sudden that thought hurt just as much as what Shane had done to her. She dissolved into another round of heaving sobs, unable to deal with the depth of emotion swimming through her veins. She didn't know what the hell was happening to her, her head was all over the place. Burying herself in his chest again, she let the feel of his arms surround her, soothe her. She could hear his heart beating against her ear and closed her eyes, drawing strength from the comfort of his embrace and taking a few deep breaths to calm down again. It was incredible the effect he was having on her. Just being in his arms helped her forget. His hand had lifted to stroke her hair, his other hand running up and down her back. She felt safe here, like nothing could hurt her and it broke her heart to know that it wasn't her place. She didn't belong here, in his arms and feeling his comfort. No. Stephanie belonged here, his wife, the woman he loved. Drawing another shaky breath, she gently pulled out of his embrace and put some distance between them. She simply couldn't be that close to him right now, not when it was tearing her up just as much as Shane. She had no idea her feelings for him ran so deep but by God did she ever know it now.

"It'll be alright, you know."

His soft voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see a small smile playing on his lips. She even managed to half smile back.

"I know it may not seem it now but it will," Paul took both her hands and turned his body to face her dead on. He needed to make her see that she would get over this because she would. He knew that. She was strong. "You'll get past this, Trish. You're tough." When she began to shake her head he grabbed her face, holding it steady and moving his closer so she could see the sincerity and belief in his eyes. "Don't give me that. You know you're tough. You're at the top level in an overly male dominated industry. That takes toughness, Trish. You don't take shit from anybody, you bump like a crazy woman, you're fierce and determined, you kick ass in the ring and you've gone from a fitness model to one of the best female wresters in the world. That takes mental toughness. You _are_ tough, you _will_ get through this and I'll be right here to help you through. I promise."

Trish held his intense gaze. She could feel herself drawing closer and closer to him, her eyes sliding shut until she suddenly pulled back and realized what she had been doing. Fuck. She almost kissed him. Her eyes frantically searched his face, looking to see if he had noticed. Thankfully he hadn't. His expression was still the same instead of freaked out at what very nearly almost happened, at least on her end anyways. Fuck, she had to stop this. He was the only thing taking her mind off Shane but he was the one thing that had the ability to fuck her up even more than him.

"Do you believe me? Do you believe in yourself?"

"Paul…" She chewed on her lip for a second and took a deep breath. No, she didn't believe him and she didn't believe in herself either. This was going to ruin her. She could already feel it happening. "Yes. I…I do but I just….I just need…"

"Time," he finished for her, buying into what she said. "You need time and I know that when you're ready, you'll face this and you'll beat it but until then, I hear my shoulder is pretty good for crying on." Paul smiled softly, his eyes twinkling in an attempt to lighten the mood if she wanted to. He was happy when she lightly bumped into him and managed a small smile back before laying her head on his chest again.

"Trust me, your shoulder is the best." She said it as jokingly as she could but meant every word. His shoulder, all of him. He would get her through this and so long as she could keep her emotions in check, a tiny part of her let itself believe that maybe she would make it out alright in the end. Maybe if she believed it, it would come true.


	18. Chapter 18

Paul was a man on a mission. After leaving Trish at the women's locker room the first thing on his list was a chat with Shane. It hadn't been easy but after a while he finally got Trish to calm down and they had come back to the arena. He had wanted her to take the night off but she wouldn't hear it. He just hoped to God she was able to keep it together long enough to do whatever the hell her segment was tonight and speaking of which, he didn't have a lot of time. It was just after 6PM. He needed to get a quick workout in, find out if he had any pre-tapes and run over his lines. Fuck his head was frazzled but he just had to do this. He had to find Shane and find out what the fuck had happened over the weekend.

* * *

"Do you have any idea the amount of fucking shit you caused me?"

Stacy found herself reeling from the venom in his voice. His eyes had almost turned black as they bore a hole right through her. What the hell was his problem? She thought he called her to his office so they could fuck. The first time in his room had been great but ever since things were getting more and more…rough. He barely even talked to her. They met up, he got off and shoved her out the door faster than she could get her clothes back on. "What? I don't know what you mean."

"Of course you don't. You're as tall as you are stupid," Shane spat at her. He had half a mind to throw her over the desk and fuck her so hard she screamed for him to stop but instead, he took a calming breath and tried to slow the blood boiling under his skin. After a moment, he reached into his desk and threw the panties at her, mirroring the actions of the woman he _had_ fucked until she screamed for him to stop a few days ago. "Ring any bells?"

"I….I….what's the problem? I thought I would surprise you."

"Well you sure as fucking hell did that alright. Because of you, Trish broke it off with me!"

Stacy couldn't hide her joy and a slow smile spread across her face. So the other woman knew. Trish knew that she had fucked Shane first. Oh she just felt so damn sorry for her. Ha! It was about time somebody taught that bitch that you don't always get what you want. She couldn't wait to see the other woman's face and more than that, she couldn't wait to get things moving with Paul. From the looks of it, Shane seemed through with her and that suited her just fine. After all, she got what she wanted from him. Now it was time to move on to his brother-in-law and destroy Trish for good.

"What the fuck are you smiling at?" Shane growled, moving across the desk in lightning speed and gripping her wrist tightly. An amused snarl tugged on his lips when he saw the fear in her eyes. He kept his tight grip, not letting up until she squirmed and looked at him in pain.

"Shane….Shane stop! You're hurting me," she whined, her body twisting and contorting in an attempt to get her arm out of his vice like grip. He suddenly let go and she stumbled back against the door with a heavy thud. Almost simultaneously the door was pushed forward slightly and was followed by a loud rap upon being shut so quickly. Stacy caught Shane's eye across the minimal distance between him and took a deep breath at the feel of her heart moving back into her chest again. The look in his eye just then had been wild.

"Shane? You in there?"

"Fuck," Shane mumbled under his breath. Paul. Shoving Stacy out of the way, he pulled the door open and plastered a fake smile on his face. "Paul man, what can I do you for?"

Paul could feel the tension radiating off both of them the second he walked into the room. He offered a tight lipped smile to his brother in law before looking to Stacy. Her expression gave nothing away but he could tell something wasn't right from the almost dazed look in her eyes. "Hey Stacy. Would you give us a minute?" he asked her but it wasn't really a question.

"Stacy was just leaving now anyways, weren't you?"

The blonde woman looked between both men, her hand absently running along her throbbing wrist. She had no problem leaving at all. Shane had seriously scared the hell out of her and from the look on Paul's face; she didn't think he was there for a family visit. Without saying a word she turned on her heel and exited the room leaving the two of them alone.

An uneasy silence engulfed the room for a few moments until Shane had enough and bit back a scoff. "Well?"

Paul wanted nothing more than to walk over and smack him in the face, first of all for sleeping around on Trish and second of all for indirectly leading to her getting mugged on the street. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he stepped forward and stared right into the other man's eyes. "I won't beat around the bush here. I want to know what the hell happened between you and Trish, Shane. Have you even seen her today? Do you know that she got fucking mugged when she left your apartment? She's a mess and if you know anything I want to hear it and I want to hear it now."

This time Shane didn't hide his scoff. "Who the fuck do you think you are barging in here demanding things of me. I could have been in the middle of some serious business."

"What? Like fucking Stacy? Is that what you call serious business?"

The dark haired man's eyes widened in shock for a split second. She told him? That fucking bitch told him?

"You know," Paul laughed bitterly. "I knew I should have done something when I saw her creeping out of your hotel room that night but out of respect for your sister I didn't. Lucky for you, Steph seems to be the only member of the family willing to put up with your bullshit. But right now I don't give a fuck. Trish is hurt, she's my friend and I want to know how the hell she wound up black and blue on the street outside your apartment when not a day before everything seemed to be going perfect between the two of you."

"You condescending son of a bitch. How dare you come in here and say that shit to me," Shane shook his head, unable to believe the audacity of the man standing before him. Who the fuck did he think he was? Trish's knight in shining armour apparently. How nice of him.

The longer he stood there not getting answers the angrier Paul got. "Cut the bullshit, Shane."

It was on the tip of his tongue to just tell him what he had done to his precious little friend but he knew he couldn't. It would make him sick but he was going to have to try and be tactful here. He couldn't have this thing getting out of hand. "What do you want me to tell you? Things just didn't work out, alright? I don't know what else to say. I thought we were on the right track but I started getting mixed signals. Stacy was available one night and it just…happened. You know how it is on the road, Paul." He finished with a sheepish laugh but it quickly turned into an almost seething frown at the response he got.

"I do but fortunately for me I don't go around fucking anything without a dick in its pants." As much as Paul didn't like it, Shane's story seemed to match up with Trish's. Seems like they just mutually called it quits, Trish left and then it happened without Shane's knowledge. But surely to God she would have gone back up to him after something like that? Whatever the case, these were questions for her, not him. "I'll be seeing you, Shano," he said without any hint of a smile on his face before turning and storming out of the office leaving Shane absolutely stewing in his wake.

"Fucking son of a bitch," he muttered under his breath. What an absolute fucking son of a bitch. Urgh. He wanted to strangle the fucker. Who in the fuck did he think he was to just waltz into his office and start interrogating him like that? He obviously thought he was untouchable. Maybe Shane ought to do something about that. As a matter of fact, Paul had mentioned that Stephanie was the only one his side. Maybe it was also time he pay a visit to his baby sister and start planting some little seeds that he could turn into full grown plants at a later date. If Paul wanted to play, he could play. He would destroy him just like he did anybody else who got in his way.

* * *

The sound of the door softly opening and then closing caught her attention. Stephanie looked up from the script she was reading on the bed to find her husband walking into the hotel room, his expression anything but happy. "Paul?" Setting the papers down instantly, she moved to her feet and met him halfway. Before she could even get a word out she was pulled into a tight hug, his strong arms wrapping around her as he nuzzled his face into her neck. Now she was starting to get worried. Pulling back slightly, she ran her hand down his stubbly cheek and looked into his troubled eyes. "You're starting to scare me here. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's nothing," he muttered, resting his forehead against hers and letting his eyes slide shut. He didn't even need to have them open to feel her questioning gaze burning through him. With a faint chuckle he opened them again and looked at her. "Nothing serious anyway, I just….." Her beautiful blue eyes were staring up at him with such tender concern and he felt the same ball of emotions engulf him that had been doing so all day. Ever since Trish's hotel room and seeing how absolutely broken she was, all he could think about was Stephanie and how much it would kill him to see her like that. He swore to himself a long time ago that he would never let any harm come to her but after seeing his good friend like that earlier today he swore it all over again. Grabbing either side of her face softly, he lowered his head to her level and made sure to look her right in the eye as he spoke. "You know I would never let anything happen to you, right?"

"I know….Paul….."

"I love you so much, Steph," he cut her off, pressing a deep kiss to her lips. "You mean everything to me, baby."

His hushed voice and whispered breath caressed her mouth before he kissed her again. She was confused and not quite sure where the hell this was coming from but she could feel the desperation in his touch and hear it in his voice. He needed her. Opening her mouth to him, she pulled him close and wrapped her arms around his neck. They could talk about it later when he was ready to do so.

Paul kissed her desperately. Their mouths moving together as he picked her up and walked her to the bed. She pulled him down on top of her when she hit the covers, their lips parting for a split second before they were joined together again in a heated kiss. He needed this, he needed her. Needed to show her just how much he loved her. Needed to prove to her that he would keep her safe no matter what. Needed to feel her touch and needed to feel her wrapped around him. He was desperate for the feelings only she could evoke in him. It had been a tough day. From his meeting with both Shane and Trish, he was emotionally exhausted and right now he wanted nothing more than to lose himself in his wife. He would tell her everything tomorrow. Right now he just needed to be with her. She reached up to caress his face and he took her hand, pinning it to the pillow above her head. The sound of papers scattering on the floor was lost on both of them as they broke their kiss and shared a loving gaze; a gaze of desire, a gaze of understanding, a gaze of passion, before they both leaned in and captured the other's lips once again.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N** - Once again thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter. I really appreciate them guys and love reading them too lol. I was going to add the stuff from the next chapter on to this one but figured I'd do them separately. There's a lot going on and I don't want anything to get overlooked or not get enough attention. Enjoy...

* * *

Stephanie let out a sleepy moan as her blue eyes slowly opened and took in the moderate brightness of the room. Almost instantly she felt the warmth of the large body pressed tightly against her and a lazy smile crossed her face. Snaking her hand out of the covers, she reached back and wrapped her arm around his thick neck, her smile only growing at the feel of his beard rubbing against her cheek. "Hmmmm, hey."

"Good morning," Paul mumbled against her neck, placing a kiss upon her throat before lifting his head to look at her face. "Hey."

The couple shared a lengthy kiss, mouths and tongues working together until they broke apart, both with huge smiles on their faces. Paul dipped his head and rubbed his nose against hers, giving her another quick kiss before gently removing her arm from his neck and laying down flat on the bed, his fingers keeping their grip on hers and letting their joined hands fall to his chest. "I can't remember the last time I woke up so exhausted. Probably when we got back from our honeymoon," he chuckled.

Stephanie laughed with him and shuffled up the bed slightly so that her back was to the headboard. "Well you were rather…animalistic last night."

"Animalistic? _Animalistic_?" he questioned, rolling to his stomach so that he could lean over her thighs. "If anybody was animalistic last night it was you." The slight blush that tainted her cheeks made him grin. Although if he were being honest with himself, desperate was probably the correct definition of their lovemaking last night, desperate in the sense that he needed to prove to her just how much he loved her. That's why he was so tired when he woke up, because they had literally kept going and going intensely until the small hours of the morning. Perhaps he was being silly but after seeing Trish like that, so broken, all he wanted to do was be with his wife in every sense of the word. His thoughts were interrupted by the feel of her soft hand running through his hair. He looked up and caught the slightly troubled expression on her face.

"You look so worried, Paul. Yesterday and now this morning. I mean, don't get me wrong, last night was…incredible." Her eyes lit up at the memory of how truly intimate and wanton they had been. She couldn't ever remember such an intense and powerful encounter before and that was saying a lot for them. But she was certain that it didn't just come out of nowhere. Something had obviously fuelled it and she wanted to know what it was. "But I know something's not right and now I'm starting to worry."

He let out a heavy sigh, absently pressing a light kiss to her inner thigh. It was obviously time to face the music. He just hoped she didn't freak when he told her what he had done yesterday and by all accounts she shouldn't. As far as he was concerned, he did the right thing. He let his left arm trace along the bed sheet covering her leg and looked her in the eyes as he recounted the events of yesterday.

Stephanie listened as he spoke and ignored the sheer jealousy that welled within her as he spoke about his meeting with Trish. She heard the emotion in his voice and she almost let it get to her until she remembered why he had been there in the first place. Trish had been attacked, apparently outside her brother's apartment after they had mutually decided to call it quits. Her red flags had popped up all over the place after hearing that but she kept quiet and let her husband speak.

"After that I just….I didn't understand how they could go from what they were to calling things off. I was angry over what happened to her and I wanted answers so I went to see Shane in his office and let him have it to be honest. It was his responsibility to make sure she got home safely and because he just left her out on the street the way he did, she ended up getting fucking mugged and now look at her." He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Just thinking about it made him angry.

"You let him have it? What does that mean?"

Preparing himself for the possibility of her getting pissed off at him, he pulled up and moved to lean back against the headboard beside her. "It means that I went to see him and we didn't have a very brotherly conversation. And just so you know, guess who just happened to be in his office when I went there?"

"Who?"

"Fucking Stacy Kiebler. Can you believe that? Seems like he's banging her at the arena as well as the hotel now and only a couple of days after breaking it off with Trish. I don't get it, Steph. You saw them. They were completely smitten with each other and all of a sudden Trish's face is mangled outside his apartment and Shane's getting it on with Stacy in his damn office," Paul cried, his head shaking in confusion. Something just wasn't right. He had taken both of their explanations at face value but after having more time to think about it, he knew there was something that somebody wasn't telling him. He just had no fucking clue what it could be.

Stephanie let out a frustrated sigh. This was quickly becoming a mess. "Paul…" She didn't even know what to say to him and was also pissed as hell with Shane for being so reckless as to have women in his office now. Their father was going to blow a gasket when he heard that one since he had specifically asked Shane to cool it with the Divas. If he found out that is. Given her husband's current feelings towards her brother she was pretty sure he'd have no problem spilling the beans as soon as he got the chance. There was also that dark piece of information, rather, suspicion, that she had buried away in the back of her mind a long time ago that was starting to creep to the surface the more this situation played out. She didn't even want to go there. In fact, she couldn't go there. Shane was her brother. She loved him and she would give him the benefit of the doubt until she personally saw a smoking gun in his hand. Quickly ridding her mind of those thoughts, she turned to find a pair of angry brown eyes staring off into space. She didn't like it for one second, to see her husband so concerned about another woman's wellbeing that wasn't his mother or his sister but she had seen Trish's face and deep down she knew he had a right to be worried. Those bruises looked nasty and if she had indeed been mugged, her mental state would be all over the place. Stephanie just wished that the other woman could find somebody else's shoulder to cry on instead of running to Paul all the time.

"You're being very quiet….not that I'm complaining or anything. I was pretty sure I was going to get my ass chewed out," came his soft chuckle, interrupting the silence of the room.

"I just…I don't know what to say, Paul. I don't agree with what Shane's been doing but at the same time I can hardly scold him over it. He's a grown man and Trish is a grown woman, as is Stacy. I don't know what you want me to say. I understand that you're angry, baby but it's really none of our business." Stephanie was just telling the truth. She didn't know what to say anymore. If she got upset about him going to see Shane it would cause a fight. If she told him he was right to do what he did she knew he would absolutely do it again and it would cause a fight. To put it simply, she didn't want to fight with him. If that meant burying her head in the sand then so be it.

Paul let out a frustrated sigh of his own as he rubbed a hand over his face. How could she be so fucking passive about this? It was starting to piss him off. "I don't…..how is it not our business, Steph? Trish is my friend and because your brother is a fucking whore, she got…"

"Whoa!" Stephanie interrupted, pushing herself off the headboard and turning her body to face him. Was he seriously about to say what she thought he was going to say? "You're blaming this on, Shane?"

"You're damn right I'm blaming it on, Shane. What type of guy brings a woman to his apartment only to break up with her and then leave her on the fucking streets of New York City to get mugged and beaten?" Fuck. He shouldn't have said that. He _really_ shouldn't have said that. The look on her face cut right through him.

"Jesus, Paul. I'm starting to get a little bit sick of this." Stephanie angrily looked around and spotted his t-shirt lying on the ground just next to her side of the bed. Hastily picking it up, she pulled it on and threw the covers off so she could stand up. So much for not causing a fight. "Shane is my brother. He may be acting like a prick at the minute but I don't need you telling me all about it every five fucking seconds."

Paul got out of the bed too and pulled on his boxer shorts before walking around to stand in front of her. "Maybe if he wasn't acting like a prick I wouldn't have to tell you about it every five fucking seconds. Just because he's your brother doesn't mean you can give him a free pass. You think Lynn would let me get away with this shit if I started doing it to you just because I'm her brother? Fuck no. She'd pull me aside and tell me to stop acting like an asshole."

"It's a pity she isn't here now then."

Her cutting remark was quickly followed by the slamming shut of the bathroom door. Paul flinched at the loud sound, partly in shock that his own wife had pretty much just called him an asshole to his face while picking up for her actual asshole brother. How in the hell was he the bad guy here? He didn't get it. "Fuck," he muttered to himself as he angrily started throwing his gear in the direction of his gym bag. Fuck that. He wasn't going to stick around to get yelled at some more. He pulled on a tank, some sweat pants and his shoes before stalking off and slamming the hotel room door himself.


	20. Chapter 20

Stacy quickly shuffled her feet along the plush carpet. Her right hand gripped a water bottle tightly and she pulled the glass door open with the other. Acting as normal as possible, the tall blonde walked into the cool air conditioned room and quickly took up a position on a treadmill close to the back of the gym, near the weights. She had been on her way back to her hotel room after an early morning run and had stopped dead in her tracks when he spotted him walking through the very same glass doors some twenty minutes ago. It was Paul and he was alone. She had found it a bit strange that he would decide to work out in the hotel gym of all places. The guys never usually went to the hotel gyms. They preferred whatever was the hip joint in whatever city they were in. That had piqued her curiosity right off the bat. Now here she was, having practically run to her room to freshen up just a little before racing back down again with a fresh bottle of water and some lightly applied makeup .This was her chance. Her eyes stayed on him in the corner as he furiously pumped the heavy cast iron dumbbells in his arms, his massive biceps bulging at the intensity of the pace. His brow was creased in concentration and no doubt pain. It was no secret that the man was a work out animal. She held her stare, just waiting for him to finish his set and set the dumbbells down. When he did, he had a quick glance around him and conveniently enough caught her eye. She watched his eyebrows rise before he offered her a quick nod. Before he could even turn away she was off the treadmill and at his side.

"Hey, Paul."

"Stacy."

His stoic reply didn't deter her from her goal. "I'm surprised to see you in here. I thought you loved all those rickety old dive gyms," she offered with a joking laugh.

"Yeah well, I just needed to clear my head so I came here." Paul's eyes narrowed slightly as he took her in. She wore skin tight three quarter length pants and a pink Nike tank top. What the hell was she doing here anyways? Actually hold up. He ran his gaze back over her torso again and this time his eyes zeroed in on the dark bruise on her arm. It was rather large and as he looked closer, it actually looked a bit like finger marks if he wasn't mistaken. Finger marks. Finger marks? His head quickly snapped up and he looked at her with the question written all over his face.

Stacy had initially been thrilled to catch him checking her out until he almost immediately started staring at her arm. She quickly grew self conscious and used her other arm to block out the painful bruise lingering there. Turns out Shane had a vice like grip, so tight that when he had grabbed her in his office yesterday it had left imprints in her damn arm. The fact that Paul seemed to have spotted this didn't sit well with her at all. If he said something to Shane she actually didn't know what he would do. Truth be told, she was afraid of him and was glad that their little arrangement was over.

"That's quite the bruise you've got on your arm there."

His question caused her stomach to churn nervously. "I get my ass kicked for a living, Paul, just like you. It tends to leave bruises some times." Her tone was flippant and she prayed to God he dropped the subject.

Paul mulled it over for a few seconds before brushing it off. Fucking hell he was starting to become paranoid now. As soon as he had seen the bruise he remembered the last time he had seen Stacy and she had been with Shane. Then his mind instantly went to Trish and her bruises. When was the last time he had seen Trish before that? When she had been with Shane. His brother in law was a lot of things; a whore who couldn't keep his dick in his pants not to mention a complete asshole but he didn't even want to entertain the other horrible ideas that had popped into his head recently. No. He was being paranoid. Stacy was right. She probably just took a bad bump or got grabbed a little too roughly in the ring. Hell, maybe Trish was the one who did it. With that thought a small smile crossed his face. Yeah, it was probably just Trish woman handling her in the ring.

"I suppose it does, yeah."

Stacy tried not to breathe too heavily as she let out a great sigh of relief. The deeper she involved herself in this thing, the more nervous she became. It quickly ran through her mind that maybe it wasn't worth it. There was drama and then there was this. But she knew that she couldn't let it go. All it took was one night and she had seduced Shane. Paul might be a tougher nut to crack but she was certain she would bed him eventually. He had dated Chyna at one point, he married Stephanie and he was fucking Trish not to mention the countless stories she had heard about him during his Kliq days. The guy liked to sleep around, she was sure of it and she would also make sure that he slept around with her.

"Well, I'm just gonna get back to…."Paul motioned with his hands to the weights surrounding him. His focus has been broken and he had been working up a nice burn. He wanted to get it back.

"You know I was wondering," she blurted out cutting him right off. Her sheepish grin was replaced with a shy smile when she saw the surprised expression on his face. "Sorry…uhhh, I was wondering if you could help me with something actually."

This was going to be good he thought to himself. What in the fuck would Stacy of all people need his help with? When she stayed silent he nodded for her to continue.

"It's just that, well, I've been having a small issue with my knee. It's been hurting me for quite a bit now and I overheard one of the guys talking about how they had the same problem and you showed them an exercise they could do to help alleviate the pain and work the muscle. I was just going to ask if you could show it to me. It would be a great help." There was a beat until his face broke into somewhat of a concerned expression and he stood from his leaning position on the bench. Inwardly she smiled. She got him.

"You're having trouble with your knee? Do you remember how it happened?"

"Not really to be honest. I think it was caused when I went over the ropes and landed badly but I'm not too sure," she replied, trying not to jump for joy when he actually bent right down and gently grasped her leg.

Paul lightly smiled up at her as he lifted her leg off the ground. She was a bitch and Trish would probably kill him if she ever found out he was even talking to her never mind helping her but he knew firsthand how painful knee injuries could be and he wouldn't wish that on anybody. "I'm just going to fiddle about with it for a second here. If it hurts just tell me to stop, alright?"

"Fiddle away," Stacy mumbled under her breath, eagerly watching him and smiling when she felt his large hand grasp the upper thigh of her other leg. Jesus his hands were all over her. If this was how he put the moves on women it was no wonder they all slept with him. His touch was so soft too. Her momentary gushing was replaced with curious interest as she watched him bend her knee a few times and then poke and prod at the skin around the bone itself. She hadn't been lying about her knee being sore and his little inspection was starting to hurt just a bit.

"It actually feels a bit swollen around the patella you know, here on the right hand side. I could show you a quick stretch to help ease out knots and stuff but you should really get Chris to have a look at it at the show tonight first. He'll be more able to help you than I will." He got back to his feet and took a quick swig of his water. "I think you should probably tape it up too when you're in the ring. That usually helps."

Stacy nodded her head graciously and smiled her best smile. It slowly dropped when she noticed that it didn't have an effect on him at all. She was going to have to be a bit more proactive when it came to him. Maybe he preferred it when women came onto him instead of the other way around? "Thanks a lot, Paul. I really appreciate you looking at it for me. You sure know your stuff!" Next time she'd be a little more blunt with regards to her intentions. Maybe then he'd get the picture and maybe then he'd take her to his room and she could finally see what the fuss was all about.

"I've had a lot of knee and leg injuries. Comes with the territory," he smiled curtly, just hoping she would now go away. He had helped her and he really hated being interrupted in the middle of a workout. Unless it was his wife and she was interrupting to give him a workout of a different kind. Fuck. Nice one, Paul. Now he was thinking about Stephanie and a sharp pang of anger coursed through his veins. He still couldn't believe she had called him an asshole after everything Shane had been doing recently. His eyes turned to the woman before him and all of a sudden he felt slightly disgusted at the thought of them together. Any manner of politeness left and his expression grew hard. "I need to get back to my workout." That was all he said before ignoring her completely and moving to the equipment bench at the other side of the room. He didn't want to think about that ridiculous fight this morning and he wouldn't. All he wanted to do was workout in peace. No Stacy, no Shane and no Stephanie. Just him and the bittersweet pain of doing something he loved.

* * *

The persistent knocking and rapping on the door wouldn't go away. Trish let out a groggy moan as she lifted her head from the pillow and frowned. She had been up all night and only just managed to fall asleep. Now she had some lunatic banging down her door.

"Trish! Trish, it's Amy. Please open up, I need to talk to you!"

Her friend's muted voice worked its way through the wooden door and she let out a sigh. She had been avoiding her but it didn't look like she was getting out of this one unless they talked. May as well just bite the bullet.

Amy was taken aback when the door suddenly flung open and she came face to face with the very tired blonde on the other side. It was clear she hadn't slept. Her brown eyes were bloodshot, hair a mess, makeup smudged and face still lightly bruised. That was why she was here in the first place. They simply needed to work this shit between them out. "Can I come in?" She followed the other woman into the room and they both took a seat on the edge of the bed. Things remained silent, neither of them knowing how to even begin this conversation.

Eventually it was Trish who broke the silence. "Amy, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am." Talk about feeling like an idiot. Amy had warned her about Shane but she had ignored it and now look at her. She actually felt embarrassed about the way she acted the last time they had spoken. How she could have been so damn foolish, to pick up for Shane and push away one of the true best friends was beyond her. He really had fucked with her head.

"I'm sorry too, Trish. I had no right to…."

"Yes. Yes you did. You don't have to apologize for anything. You were being my friend and that's what friends do, they tell us the things we don't want to hear. I'm just sorry I never listened to you."

A beat passed as Amy tried to think of the best way to approach this. She had heard the locker room gossip. That Shane and Trish had broken up and that Trish had got attacked or mugged. But she knew in her heart that that wasn't the truth. Her mind had instantly recalled the night she had seen Shane with his then wife Marissa and the way he had acted with her. If her suspicions were right then….she didn't even want to go there but knew that she had to. "Trish I…..I think I know what really happened to you and it wasn't that you got mugged, was it?"

Trish's head dropped in shame and her breathing grew deep. She didn't want to do this because she wasn't ready to admit what had happened to her. She wasn't ready to accept her place as a _victim_. Call it denial, call it whatever you want but for her it was simply self preservation. If she didn't believe it happened then maybe she could forget that it actually did and try to move on with her life. It was the only way that she saw light at the end of the tunnel.

"I'm so sorry, I…"

"Don't," the blonde managed to squeak out. She was desperately close to losing it. Her watery eyes connected with the concerned ones looking back. "Please don't. I just…..I'm not ready to…Oh God Amy."

Amy immediately opened her arms and took her into them. All of a sudden she looked broken and frail and it was tearing her up inside to see her like this. Trish was usually so strong. To see her totally destroyed was killing her. The words didn't need to be spoken. She knew what had happened and while she sat there cradling her friend in her arms, her mind was running a mile a minute trying to think of what to do next. Shane was a McMahon. If she went after him she would no doubt lose her job. What if she went to Vince or Stephanie? Stephanie. Stephanie was married to Paul. Paul. Holy fuck, Paul. Amy gulped nervously as his name ran through her mind. What would happen when Paul found out? Could she tell him and be responsible for the fallout?


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N - It's been a while, huh? This one is dedicated to _Brit7000_ for constantly pestering me for this and also because she's awesome and gives me nice things. This is what happens when you give me nice things lol. Enjoy...**

* * *

Eight hours. It had been eight hours since he had even the slightest bit of contact with his wife. Paul sighed in annoyance and angrily pulled his left kneepad on, letting it linger over his boot. After his workout this morning he had returned to an empty hotel room. His wife was gone and she had even packed her bag too. She didn't even leave a note. His blood began to boil just thinking about it. The mere fact that they were fighting over her asshole brother infuriated him even more. He had half a mind to go find the boy wonder and smack him in the face for causing a much unneeded shit storm in his marriage.

"Fucking stupid," he muttered under his breath, this time pulling on the right kneepad before flopping onto the bench and staring off into space, haunted by thoughts of things he wasn't quite prepared to believe. Asshole or not, he'd never accuse Shane of doing….._that_…unless it was true of course. No. No, it wasn't true and he was acting ridiculously paranoid. So what? Stacy had a bruise on her arm. She was a wrestler. They always had bruises. Finger marks however? Well, yes. She was obviously grabbed a little too hard in the ring. Hard enough to leave such visible prints on the skin? Jesus. There he was, off again, letting his mind run away with him. His growing hatred for his brother-in-law was starting to cloud his sanity. Fuck.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Paul glanced up from his inner debate with himself to find his best friend looking down at him with a curious expression on his face. "Trust me, if you knew what my thoughts were they'd be worth more to you than a penny."

Shawn Michaels let out a small chuckle as he sat down on the bench next to his troubled pal and gave him a quick tap on the knee. "Alright then, I'll give you 5 bucks for them." It didn't even garner the faintest of smiles from the larger man, causing him to frown. "You're clearly not in the mood for jokes. What's going on, man?" He asked the question even though he had a pretty good idea of the reason behind his buddy's foul mood. He had encountered one Stephanie McMahon a couple of hours ago and made the mistake of asking after her husband. The death glare he got in response told him all he needed to know. The newlyweds seemed to be in the middle of quite the spat. When he still didn't get an answer his head began to shake. "I take it you don't want to talk abou….."

"I _can't_ talk about it, Shawn."

That little admission caused the Heartbreak Kid to sit forward and lean on his knees. What the hell was going on? When his friend finally turned to look him in the eyes his concern only grew. "You can't?"

Paul let out a scoff and rolled his eyes at his own paranoia. "If I do you'll think I'm going crazy. Hell, _I'm_ starting to think I'm going crazy."

"Paul, we've been through a lot of crazy shit together. This business is the home of crazy shit. I don't think anything you say can make me believe that you're crazy," Shawn reassured him. "Besides, I knew you were crazy a long time ago so you have nothing to worry about." His smart remark finally earned a small smile from the other man. A pair of slightly worried brown eyes met his own and he prepared himself for what he was about to hear.

"Before I even begin you can't tell anybody about this and I mean nobody, Shawn or it'll be my ass." Paul rubbed a hand over his face and let out a sigh. He couldn't believe he was even about to say this out loud but if there was one person in this world he could trust it was the man sitting beside him right now. Shawn was like a brother to him and as far as he was concerned they _were_ brothers. Maybe if he finally got this off his chest it would stop bothering him so much. "Steph and I had a fight." At his friend's unimpressed stare he rolled his eyes and continued. "Don't look at me like that. That's not the reason why I….well, it's partly the reason but….."

"You're babbling."

"Just let me talk, alright!"

A brief silence encompassed the two men and it gave Paul a chance to gather his thoughts before speaking again. "Steph and I had a fight because of Shane. You know what happened to Trish right? You also know that the two of them were pretty much dating up until a couple of days ago when Trish came to the arena black and blue. You don't know how close they had gotten though. Trish had gone to Shane's apartment and I was under the impression that things were going great. Then the very next time I see her she's telling me that they called it quits and she got mugged on the street after leaving him at his place. But it doesn't make sense, Shawn. I didn't understand it then and the more I think about it the more confused I get."

Shawn started to get an uneasy feeling in his gut. Just what exactly was Paul getting at here? His eyes darted around the empty room awkwardly. "Confused about what?"

"About how things just ended so abruptly. About how he could just leave her on the street without calling her a cab and doing what any decent man would do and make sure that she got home safely. About how she ended up getting beaten on his watch. About the fact that he has been fucking Stacy Kiebler when they were supposed to be together. About how I walked in on them in his office yesterday and then earlier this morning I bump into Stacy and _she_ has bruises on her arms as well. Then there's the fact that Stephanie seems determined not to talk about any of this and gives that fucker a free pass on everything." The outburst was out of him before he even had a chance to think about what he was saying. "Fuck, Shawn. Listen to that and tell me that something doesn't add up."

When all he received was nothing but silence for an answer, Paul simply laughed bitterly. "Great. I knew I shouldn't have said anythi…"

"Stop!" Shawn grabbed his arm and prevented him from getting to his feet. He took another few moments to digest what he had just heard before looking his friend dead in the eye. "I don't know what you're expecting me to say here, Paul. But fucking hell, man, if you believe even an ounce of what you are suggesting here then….I don't even fucking know."

"And what exactly do you think I'm suggesting?"

The question caught him off guard and Shawn's eyes glimmered dangerously. "I don't know, why don't you tell me?" If his buddy over there didn't have the balls to say it himself then he sure as hell wasn't going to say it for him. If he truly believed it then he would say it instead of dancing around it.

"Fuck, Shawn. What do you want me to say?" They were talking in fucking riddles.

"What you're thinking! You can't come off with things like that and then not follow it up, unless you don't think it's true."

"I don't know what to fucking think, OK? I don't know what to think."

At that moment Shawn felt bad about the way he had just acted. His friend was in a horrible position and it was causing friction in his marriage. "I take it Steph freaked when you told her?"

The mere mention of his wife's name made his temperature rise. Paul took a deep breath to calm his nerves but it did nothing to help his feelings on the matter. "That's the funny part. I haven't even said a damn thing to her. You want to know why we're fighting? Because I called Shane a whore. She gets angry at me for saying he can't keep his dick in his pants when he _actually_ can't keep his dick in his pants and she knows it. He sleeps around and acts like a fucking prick and it's somehow my fault? I came back from working out this morning and she had left our hotel room. She even packed her shit and just left. I swear to God, man…"

"Alright just….take a breather here, OK?" That was Paul's second outburst of the day and it became very clear to Shawn that the other man was pissed off to say the least and was it any wonder, what with all this shit hanging over his head? He was never one to bitch or outwardly show emotion like that. His nature was much more stoic. The fact that he had erupted and twice no less was all the proof he needed that this was eating him up.

"I haven't mentioned any of this to, Steph and it's causing stupid fucking fights between us. How in the hell am I supposed to go tell her that I'm starting to think her brother's a…" He inhaled slowly and looked up to the ceiling with his eyes shut. "Nothing. He's nothing and I'm being ridiculous."

Shawn absently shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know what to believe. The way it was put to him, it did seem like there was something somebody wasn't telling Paul. The pieces of the puzzle just didn't add up but at the same time, that didn't necessarily mean what he thought it meant either. In his mind, there was only one way to find out. "You're not being ridiculous. You're looking out for your friend. I know how close you and Trish are. She's like a little sister to you, man but there's only one way you can ease your conscience and find out what really happened if it happened at all."

Paul knew what he was about to hear and didn't like it one bit. He didn't like it when he thought it himself and he didn't like that his friend was about to say it either. Slowly lowering his head back to meet the concerned gaze across from him, he took a moment for a look of understanding to pass between them before they both said the exact same thing in unison.

"Ask her."

* * *

Shane flipped through the papers in his hand. Some were spread out on the coffee table in front of him accompanied by his feet as he scanned the pages of the report. He had to meet his father in a couple of minutes to run over a couple of things, said report being one of them. A knock on the door prompted him to lift his head and he couldn't have been any happier to see the person who walked through it. "Steph!" She was just the person he wanted to see. "What's up, lil' sis?"

Walking into the room and taking a seat next to him on the sofa, Stephanie didn't enjoy her brother's jovial attitude. "Quite a lot actually, _big bro_."

Her sarcastic tone wasn't lost on him and Shane bit back his smile. What could possibly have crawled up her ass today? He couldn't wait to find out. "Oh?"

"Paul and I fighting."

That was music to his ears. Trying really hard to keep biting back his smile, he frowned and set down the papers to look at his sister face on. "You guys are fighting?"

"Yes we're fighting, Shane and we're fighting about you. What the hell is going on with you, huh?"

He hadn't been expecting that little nugget of information but it sure as hell made him smile, he couldn't even stop it from happening and he let out an amused little laugh to go with it.

"I'm glad you find it so funny."

"Steph…"

Stephanie held up her hand and cut him off. "Don't '_Steph'_ me, OK? What is going on, Shane? You promised dad you would stop sleeping with the Divas yet here you are seeing two of them at the same time. How can you be so reckless? Sleeping with Stacy in your office, in the hotel? Dad's going to…."

"I don't give a fuck about what Dad says." This time he cut her off. What the fuck was her problem? "I'm a grown fucking man, Stephanie. I can do whatever the hell I want. Besides, I don't think you're in a position to give off to me about sleeping with the talent."

Her eyes widened in shock at the fact that he would actually bring that up. "That's completely different and you know it."

"How is it any different?"

"Paul is my husband."

Shane scoffed at her answer and shook his head. "He wasn't your husband when you guys were screwing around to begin with. How is that different from me and any diva?"

"Shane….." she was slowly losing it with him and was forced to take a breath to calm her nerves. "Paul and I were never '_screwing around'_ and you know that. Nothing happened between us until we knew for sure that things were serious. I can't believe you would even bring this up."

"Of course I'm going to bring it up when you're being a fucking hypocrite. Why shouldn't I fuck whoever I want? Because my daddy says so? Sorry, but I'm not you, princess. This place is one giant orgy anyways. Everybody is sleeping with everybody. I don't see why it should be any different for me and I don't know why you think you can sit there and judge me when you went and married the guy you were fucking."

Stephanie's face turned up in disgust. Who the hell was this man sitting beside her right now? She couldn't believe the way he was talking about her marriage, like it was something cheap and dirty. His entire attitude was worrying. He had always been a bit of an asshole but recently things were getting worse. It seemed as if he didn't care about anything but himself. And she had gone to bat for him causing a huge fight with her husband in the process. She found herself sitting there wondering why all of a sudden. If her brother wanted to be like this then he wasn't worth her time and he certainly wasn't worth starting fights over.

"Don't look at me like that. You have no right to judge me, Steph and quite frankly, I don't give a shit if you do or anybody else for that matter."

"And that's the problem isn't it, Shane? Seems as if the only person you care about anymore is yourself. What the hell has gotten into you?" she asked, almost in disbelief at his dismissive attitude.

Shane laughed bitterly. Of course she wouldn't understand, hell, it had taken him all this time to figure it out himself. He was Shane McMahon. He was untouchable and could do whatever the fuck he wanted. He was set to inherit this business and start running things. If he wanted to fuck Stacy Kiebler then he would. If he wanted to fuck Trish Stratus then he would. If he wanted to fuck his wife when she told him no then he would. As his ex-wife's image ran through his head, a dirty sneer tugged at his lips. To think that he had wasted so much of his life tied down to Marissa of all people. It annoyed him to no end and he couldn't have been happier to sign those divorce papers.

"Shane?"

He broke out of his reverie to find his sister looking at him with a slightly worried expression on her face. It amused him. "What?"

"I asked you what happened with Trish and why you guys ended things." A nervous lump gathered in her throat and she swallowed it down, incredibly anxious about his answer. The horrible sneer that had appeared on his face a few moments ago returned as he scoffed.

"Why the fuck do you and Paul for that matter think this is any of your business? First I have him storming into my office interrogating me about this and now you? Who the fuck do you think you are? It's none of your business."

This time it was her turn to scoff. "When your behaviour starts causing fights in my marriage then it most definitely is my fucking business. And you didn't answer my question."

Shane was about to tell her to fuck off when the idea hit him like a bolt of lightning. Damn. Why hadn't he thought of this before? He fidgeted with his hands and dropped his gaze to the floor for effect before looking back up at her. "Steph….I don't think I should tell you."

"Oh for God's sake!"

"Fine! But don't shoot the messenger. Trish came to my apartment that night, things were going great, I thought we were finally going to take things to the next level and then out of nowhere she pulls up and tells me she can't. I asked her why and she told me it was because she was in love with someone else. Obviously that pissed me off and we fought. She wouldn't tell me who but I don't think you need two guesses to figure out who it is. I sure as hell didn't. I asked her if it was Paul and she left. That's why we broke things off, alright? I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to upset you. Trish is in love with Paul and quite frankly I'm not surprised and I know you aren't either, Steph. When I watch the two of them together it makes me sick, the way they flaunt their relationship in front of you the way they do. It's a fucking joke."

Stephanie was frozen to the spot. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. It made perfect sense. Trish was in love with Paul. Trish was in love with her _husband_. She felt her stomach churn at the thought and an intense wave of jealousy washed over her body. She felt it all the way to her fingertips. It was overwhelming.

"Steph? You alright?" Shane feigned concern as he pressed a hand to her shoulder. The colour had completely drained from his sister's face and it made his heart leap. If Paul wanted to play then he could fucking play. Let's see how he got out of this one. He didn't need Trish to tell him that's why she refused to sleep with him that night. She could use Stacy as an excuse all she wanted but he knew the real reason was because she loved that fucker. Maybe this would finally wake Stephanie up and make her see her beloved husband for what he really was. Giving her a gentle shake to get her attention, he once again called her name.

Her blue eyes met with his but she was barely paying attention. She hadn't spoken to her husband since this morning and had absolutely no idea where the hell he was but in her gut, she had a pretty good idea of where he might be and she didn't like it one bit. Suddenly standing up, she absently waved goodbye to her brother and made for the door. "I have to go."

The sound of the door sliding shut brought a smile to his face. Shane grinned wickedly and shook his head in amusement. Things were about to get very interesting.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N - So it's almost been exactly one entire year since I last updated this and for that I apologize sincerely. This story has a pretty dedicated following and I owe you guys more than that. This chapter probably isn't the best because it's hard to just pick up characters and a story when you haven't been near it for so long but I intend to finish this. Enjoy...**

* * *

Amy looked at the blond woman with a mixture of admiration and sympathy. She simply couldn't believe Trish had gone out there tonight and held it together the way she had. It was unbelievable to her that she was able to flick the switch like that and in that instant she had more respect for Trish Stratus than any person she ever had before. What the poor woman was going through right now was simply horrific yet she still had the strength to go out on national television, face still banged up and utterly broken both physically and mentally yet she doubted anybody noticed a single thing. Amy took a step forward and cringed when her friend jumped at the simple act of her hand resting upon her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

That was it. That was all she said. Amy looked closer and it was only then that she noticed the unshed tears brimming in Trish's eyes. A fierce sense of protectiveness consumed her as her friend broke down once again.

"Look at me, I'm a fucking mess," Trish cried almost to herself. She couldn't stop crying and the fact of the matter was, going out there tonight had been a blur. She didn't remember anything that happened. The only thought in her mind was how vulnerable and exposed she felt, baring her beaten face and broken soul to the world all the while knowing that the bastard who did it to her was sitting behind a curtain revelling in her pain. It made her sick.

"You're not a mess. Don't do this to yourself, Trish. You're strong, don't let him wi….."

"I'm not! Stop saying I'm strong when I'm ready to break down. I can't deal with this, Amy. I don't know what to do, what to think, how to feel. I'm inside the same building as the man who rap…..who ra…." Trish took a shaky breath and wiped the tears from her eyes.

Amy couldn't stand to see her like this. It was breaking her heart and the worst thing about it all is that she couldn't do a thing to help. "Please don't. When you're ready to talk about it, you'll know. Right now isn't the time." Amy mulled the thought over in her head for the millionth time since she figured out just what had really gone on with Shane. She took a deep breath of her own and finally blurted it out. "You need to tell Paul." The look of sheer horror she received in response instantly made her regret that decision.

"No! You can't tell him. Good God it will ruin his marriage if you do that. I can't have that on my head. He's been such a good friend to me, I won't be responsible for ruining his life, Amy." The thought of Paul finding out chilled Trish to the bone. Because she knew he would go after Shane and fuck up his marriage in the process. No matter how badly she wanted to see Shane get the shit beat out of him, she couldn't take it if Paul became another victim to Shane's heartless disregard for everything around him. The man was a monster. "He doesn't deserve that."

"And neither do you!" Amy almost yelled back. She simply couldn't take seeing her once spirited friend like this. Shane had well and truly broken her and the bastard should get what was coming to him. "God, Trish I just don't understand why you won't speak up about this, about what he did to you. You know the boys will take your side, everybody will, especially Paul. And don't you dare stand there and try to tell me you aren't strong. Even now you're trying to do everything you can to protect Paul at your own expense. That's the most selfless thing I've ever seen anybody do, Trish. You're the strongest person I know and you'll beat this. But you have to start talking. Go to Paul, go to Vince, go to the fucking police and send that bastard to jail for what he's done to you!"

"You just don't understand."

The muttered response angered Amy and she lashed out, once again instantly regretting her decision. "I do. I understand it's hard but…."

"_How can you understand, Amy_? Have you ever been hit in the face by a man you thought cared about you? Have you ever been pushed down on to a bed and seen the most cold and calculated look cross his face and deep in your gut you know what's going to happen but you just can't believe it's about to happen to you? Have you ever been touched, held down and forced to feel his hands all over you? Have you ever been _raped_, Amy?"

The silence in the room was deafening and tension so thick it was overwhelming. Amy dropped her gaze to the floor, ashamed of herself for bringing such a reaction about. "I'm sorry…"

"I want to be alone."

"Trish, please…"

"Just go."

Trish didn't even flinch as the door quietly clicked shut. She was in a daze, barely able to comprehend what she had just said. It was the first time the words had been properly spoken. She had been raped. Shane McMahon raped her. Her body began to shake before she even had a chance to realize what was going on. She collapsed to the floor in a heap, self consciously backing herself against the wall in a protective manner. The tears began to fall and they didn't stop, the full force of her pain hitting her like a ton of bricks.

* * *

Paul stepped out of the shower, his hand absently working through his wet golden strands. Thank God the show was over. Now he could go find Trish and just bite the damn bullet and ask her. It was all he could think about and until he got answers it wasn't going to leave him alone. It took a couple of seconds for him to glance up from the floor and notice his wife standing in the middle of the room. It was supposed to have been their locker room but she hadn't bothered to show up since now. Quite frankly the mere sight of her made his blood boil and he scoffed. "Decided to show your face after all then, huh? If you're here to tell me to book my own room then don't worry, I wasn't planning on bunking with you tonight anyways."

His tone was acidic and his outright refusal to stay the night with her stung harshly. But it paled in comparison to the other thoughts plaguing her mind right now. "Is that right? Let me guess, you were planning on _bunking_ with Trish," Stephanie snapped back at him. The flash of anger in his eyes at the mention of the other woman's name seemed to pass between them, fanning the already smouldering flames within her.

"You have no idea what she's been through, Stephanie. Don't stand there and pass judgment on her because YOU decided to act like a bitch this morning." Paul was past being civil. The fact that she would even insinuate something like that cut pretty damn deep.

Stephanie laughed bitterly and rolled her eyes. "And you do? I guess she's told you all about it, right after she told you she was in love with you."

"What? Where the fuck did you get that from?" It took Paul all of one second to figure it out. "Shane." His fists clenched tightly at his sides. "He's playing you to turn you against me and I can't believe that you're fucking falling for his bullshit. Even your dad knows he's acting like a dickhead yet you seem intent on picking up for him. Is it because he's telling you what you want to hear, Steph? Do you want to hear that Trish and I are more than friends so you finally have a reason to hate her?"

For the first time in her life Stephanie actually felt something akin to hatred towards her husband. It only lasted a moment but it was there and it was because she knew he was telling the truth. She just couldn't face the reality of the situation. Not when it meant confirming her suspicions from a few years ago. She couldn't, she _wouldn't_, let herself believe that her own flesh and blood was capable of such things. It just wasn't an option, yet her heart was aching because it just might cost her the love of her life.

Paul swallowed the lump that rose in his throat at the devastated look that crossed his wife's face. He didn't even know why the fuck they were fighting. Neither of them had done anything wrong yet here he was, desperate to take the few steps and pull her into his arms yet his feet were glued to the spot, not letting him comfort his own fucking wife because he wasn't even sure that she wanted him to right now. When he saw her beautiful blue eyes turn glossy he had enough and stepped forward, his big hands enclosing around hers. "What is happening here, Steph? This isn't us. I don't even know what the fuck this is about. I love you. You know I love you and nothing will ever change that. But Shane….something's not right. I don't know what it is but I know it's not right and I have to find out. Do you understand that?"

"No!" She pushed his hands away and instantly felt cold without his huge frame hovering next to hers. She didn't understand. "Why, Paul? Why do you have to find out? Why can't you just let it be and let everybody move on?" Why did he have to do this? If he kept digging he would no doubt stumble upon the truth and then what? It would rip her family apart, it would rip the company apart and she might lose him forever. A deep sense of panic gripped her stomach and she let out a frustrated sigh. "Nothing good will come of this I'm telling you."

Paul tilted his head at her cryptic statement. He was just about to ask her what the hell she meant when his phone beeped, diverting his attention. He picked up the black device to find a message from Amy urging him to get to Trish ASAP. His chest tightened and he instantly moved to the bench and started pulling out his clothes.

"What are you doing? Who was that?" Stephanie asked already fearful of the answer. She watched as he pulled his boxers and jeans on under the towel before letting it drop to the floor.

"I have to go, but if you want me to…I'd like to keep the room I already have booked tonight."

"Where are you going?" she asked again.

He pulled his t-shirt on and looked her dead in the eye when he spoke. He didn't want there to be any secrets between them and if she couldn't handle it they'd just have to deal with it later. "To see Trish."

"Then don't bother."

For the second time that day the door slammed shut but this time Paul didn't give it a second thought. Amy's message had him worried out of his skull. His only priority right now was getting to his friend. His wife was just going to have to wait.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N - Thanks for all your amazing reviews as usual. This chapter takes us back to give a little background on a couple of things so I hope you guys enjoy the change of pace. I've decided that I just might not update anything else until I get this finished because I feel like the end is drawing near...I hope lol. Anyway, I'll try to be more frequent with this and everything else too. Enjoy...**

* * *

**Christmas Eve - 3 Years Ago**

Stephanie sighed happily as she dragged the roller case through the door, finally glad to be home. Well, she was only glad to be out of her car because truth be told, she'd much rather be back where she had just come from. She loved her family but for the first time in her life she was also desperately in love with somebody else and would give anything to spend the Holidays with him, even if it meant forsaking time with her family. The small little smile that seemed to be permanently etched on her face lately returned once again and Stephanie flicked the switch, shrouding the room in light. Nobody was home. "Must be at church," she muttered to herself. No doubt her mother would let her have it for missing mass on Christmas Eve. If she knew what she had been doing instead she'd probably let her have it even worse. It was an activity that most definitely had nothing pious about it.

The roller case made a whooshing sound as it travelled across the fine polished wood of the McMahon Mansion. It annoyed her to no end that just a few hours ago she had been in the city with Paul, just the two of them saying their goodbyes before they went their separate ways over Christmas. She wouldn't see him again until the end of the week. Today was only Tuesday. It felt like a lifetime away. Finally reaching the top of the expansive staircase, Stephanie was just about to head right towards her room when she heard a strange noise coming from down the hall to the left. A sliver of light peeked out from under the door of one of the guest rooms. Maybe somebody was home after all. Leaving the case propped against the wall, she made her way towards the door and rapped lightly. When there was no answer she rapped again, this time louder.

"Is anybody in there?"

Sudden and loud scuffling noises sent Stephanie's senses into overdrive. What the fuck was going on? She placed one hand on the handle and was just about to push down when the door creaked open and Marissa half smiled at her.

"Riss! God, you scared the life out of me. I thought there was an intruder or something," Stephanie chuckled slightly breathless. She had been one second away from freaking the hell out there.

"Sorry I…..I didn't know anybody was back yet."

Stephanie frowned at the almost mouse like response. And that's when she noticed the redness of the other woman's wrists and the heavy make-up on her face, especially around the left eye. Her blue eyes looked between her sister-in-law's hands and face frantically and full of questions, questions that would never be asked because the solemn look on Marissa's face told her all she needed to know. It was brief, cold, removed; but Stephanie knew better than to ask what she was desperate, or maybe not so desperate, to find out.

Marissa kept her gaze locked on the alarmed brunette before her until she was satisfied that her message had been received. She wasn't going to talk about it, not to Stephanie and not to anybody else. The shame was just too strong. The only thing stronger was the fear of what would happen to her if she did. Stephanie needed to understand that and her now silent expression indicated that she did. Marissa held their deadlocked stare for a moment longer before her face relaxed. "Everybody has gone to Church. I told them to go without me because I wasn't feeling well."

"And are you….feeling better…now?"

"Yes. Much better."

The two women engaged in another tense stare, Marissa determined to keep her secret and Stephanie overwhelmed with every emotion in the book. She wasn't quite sure she understood what was going on here and more importantly than that, she wasn't sure she wanted to. The sudden sound of keys in the lock followed by jovial chatter brought about an end to the conversation and before Stephanie had a chance to say anything else, Marissa had taken off down the stairs. Stephanie walked to the landing and watched from above as her brother embraced his wife. All of a sudden she noticed how his hand remained on her back, not in an affectionate way but in a controlling way. Shane moved so that he was almost standing side on to his wife, effectively controlling any movement she could make. What surprised her most was the beaming smile on Marissa's face. This looked rehearsed to perfection; the body language, the smiles, the bright but hard eyes. Stephanie observed it all from the top of the landing and felt a wave of anxiety wash over her body.

"Steph! Come down here and give your old man a hug will ya? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," Vince Mc Mahon grinned up at his only daughter, calling her name again when she made no motion to move. "_Stephanie_!"

She snapped out of it, another wave of anxiety gripping her stomach at how easy it was to plaster a smile on her face and descend the stairs to hug her father. Over his broad shoulder she caught the careful gaze sent her way and nodded slightly in return. She wouldn't question what had happened tonight because nothing had happened. She had come home for Christmas, found her sister-in-law in her room and was now getting squeezed to death by her burly father. That was it. There was nothing to question.

* * *

Later that night as she lay in bed letting the gentle heat of the blankets warm her body, Stephanie's eyes couldn't help but drift to the door and what might possibly be happening at the end of the hall. No. She simply refused to believe it. Shane was her brother. Riss had just obviously taken sick or something. They looked happy as the family had settled in for the night over a bottle of wine and some Irish whiskey. From downstairs she could hear the distant chimes of the big old clock striking midnight. Almost simultaneously her phone buzzed on the nightstand and her hand shot out, picking up the device and clicking on the read message button.

_**I miss you already. Merry Christmas, baby.**_

Her heart fluttered as her eyes scanned the tiny screen. Paul. The fluttering in her chest turned to a tight ache. She would give anything to have him with her right now. He'd pull her close and tell her that everything was going to be okay. And it was. She had him and he was all she needed. Her fingers typed the message and hit send before she even knew what she was doing. "I love you." His response came through instantly.

_**I love you too. See you Sunday xx**_

Sunday. All she had to do was get through the next five days and she could see him again. That was her focus. She didn't have time to waste thinking up crazy theories and ideas about something that was honestly so ridiculous it had zero chance of even being a possibility. Marissa was fine. Shane was fine. And she only had five more days until she could be with Paul again. With him on her mind, she set the phone down and cuddled under the covers, the events of the last few hours already pushed out of her head and replaced with something much more fulfilling.

* * *

"I didn't tell her anything, I swear," Marissa managed to rasp out, her eyes wide with pure fear.

Shane stared coldly at his wife. If he wanted to, all he had to do was squeeze just a little bit harder and she'd choke. He continued to stare, making sure she knew that he wasn't going to stand for her shit, before slowly releasing his grip. The way she grabbed at her throat, gasping for breath, made him chuckle. "Good. Because trust me when I tell you this, the _last_ thing you need is Stephanie or anybody else sniffing around, you understand me?"

"Yes."

Shane simply murmured a response as he turned and began dressing for bed. He didn't know why but he sensed his sister being a little too inquisitive for her own good tonight but above all else, she was looking at him very strangely. He was convinced his stupid wife had spilled her guts but he knew when she was lying and he believed her when she said that she kept her mouth shut. Maybe Stephanie was just distracted. Whatever. He didn't care. All he wanted to do was get this stupid holiday over with so they could go home and he could stop pretending like he gave a fuck about Marissa or anybody else for that matter. The longer he was at his parent's house the longer he was off the road. The longer he was off the road the more time he spent with his wife. The more time he spent with his wife the angrier he got. The angrier he got the more he wanted to hurt her. It made his blood boil just thinking about it.

"Shane."

"What," he spat at her, turning on his heel quickly. His fierce expression was replaced with a soft smile at the glass of bourbon she offered to him. He took the glass and with the other hand stroked her chin. "Thank you."

Marissa fought with everything she had to stop from shuddering when he kissed her on the lips. It was brief but always too long. Any time he touched her she wanted to throw up. But it was worth it to get him to take the drink. Maybe he'd knock himself out by drinking the whole bottle. He turned his back and she squeezed her eyes shut, taking just one second to compose herself before getting into bed. Tomorrow was Christmas. It was supposed to be the happiest day of the year. For her, it was just another day in her own personal nightmare.


End file.
